An early departure for Hastert?

Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007 07:07 EST

We knew that Dennis Hastert would be retiring at the end of his term, but sources are now telling Roll Call and other media outlets that the former House speaker will actually resign before then, forcing a special election to replace him.

And what does that mean? Well, it depends on where you read about it.

The Los Angeles Times and the Politico say Hastert's early departure would likely help Democrats because they could focus their fundraising advantages on the election and/or because Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich could set the special election on the same day of the Illinois primary, assuring a heavy turnout from Democrats supporting the presidential run of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Then there's Fox News. Hastert's early departure is good news for Republicans, Fox says, because the GOP is "is expected to be more adept at turning out voters in a low-turnout special election."

― Tim Grieve

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