The Eye

"I think that the stimulus plan and the other actions that have been taken in the Congress have only driven up the deficit without yielding the kind of job creation and investment that people were hoping that they would," Cadigan said.

Cadigan will be emphasizing ethics in a state that has seen charges of corruption lead to the imprisonment of one former governor (Republican George Ryan) and the indictment of another (Democrat Rod R. Blagojevich).

Cadigan indicated that he, like Kirk, holds conservative views on fiscal matters and moderate views on social issues.

"It's the kind of Republican that John Porter was, and it's the same tradition of the party that I come out of, and I would run and serve in that same way," said Cadigan, who worked for Porter in Washington from 1986 to 1990 and also managed his landslide re-election campaigns in 1990 and 1992.

Crowded primaries are anticipated for the Democratic and Republican primaries on Feb. 2.

CQ Politics assigned a preliminary race rating of Leans Democratic to the 2010 race in Illnois' 10th, mainly because of Kirk's narrow victories in 2006 and 2008 and the district's strong vote for President Obama in the 2008 election. That rating may be changed at any time.

To follow the 2010 House races, check out the CQ Politics election map