DeKALB | College Democrats think the results for the 70th District may have come out differently Tuesday had Chuck Sauer not waited until after the primaries to announce he was running.

“We’re disappointed,” said Kevin Chambliss, vice president of membership for the College Democrats. “He’s a great candidate and he still has a great future in Illinois politics.”

Chambliss is disappointed because he said he thinks Sauer had many new ideas. He does, however, look forward to seeing what Sauer has to offer in the future.

“When you talk to him, he’s so genuine,” Chambliss said. “He’s a person you can trust.”

Across the state, however, Democrats were able to remain in control of the governor’s seat as incumbent Rod Blagojevich retained his position.

“We’re happy. It’s great [that he won]. We were kind of expecting it to be honest,” said Kevin Malone, president of the College Democrats.

Democratic candidate John Laesch, however, was unable to take out Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert in the race for Congress, but the College Democrats were still impressed with the results.

“It’s disappointing [that Laesch lost]. I wish it would have been better, but it’s a vast improvement from last year,” Malone said. “It definitely shows we’re gaining momentum in an area that’s traditionally Republican.”

The College Democrats, however, were optimistic about their control of the House.

“Well this means finally, for once, that President Bush will have some real competition. He is going to have start reaching across party lines,” Malone said. “If nothing else, we will have legitimate debate about policies and this is important.”

“[Democrats] will be able to push through policy that Bush is going to have to take seriously,” Malone said.

Stephanie Kohl is a Campus Reporter for the Northern Star.