Illinois Senate seat

Aiming to recover from a politically scandalous couple of years (well, really, couple of decades), Illinois is finally ready to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Barack Obama–this time, by vote! The state’s Feb. 2 primary determined the contenders: Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Mark Kirk.  Giannoulias, the state treasurer, calls for “a comprehensive, market-based system that puts a price on global warming pollution and spurs investment in renewable energy and new clean energy jobs”; he’s been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and the Illinois Sierra Club.  Kirk, who has served in the U.S. House since 2001, was one of just eight Republicans to vote in favor of the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill last summer, but after being attacked by Tea Partiers, he switched positions and now says he’s opposed to cap-and-trade.