Down ballot : how a local campaign became a national referendum on abortion / Patrick Wohl.

Champaign, IL : 3 Fields Books, an imprint of the University of Illinois Press, [2024]

183 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

"In 1990, a suburban Chicago race for the Republican Party nomination for state representative between Penny Pullen and Rosemary Mulligan unexpectedly became a national proxy battle over abortion in the United States. But the hard-fought primary also illustrated the overlooked importance of down-ballot contests in America's culture wars. Patrick Wohl offers the dramatic account of a rollercoaster campaign that, after attracting political celebrities and a media circus, came down to thirty-one votes, a coin toss to determine the winner, and a recount fight that set a precedent for how to count dimpled chads. As the story unfolds, Wohl provides a rare nuts-and-bolts look at an election for state office from its first days through the Illinois Supreme Court decision that decided the winner--and set the stage for a decisive 1992 rematch. A compelling political page-turner, Down Ballot takes readers behind the scenes of a legendary Illinois election"-- Provided by publisher.

Online version: Wohl, Patrick, 1994- Down ballot Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [2024]

English

January 12, 2024

Includes bibliographical references and index.