Yes, Virginia -- there are Republicans in Chicago! Technically, at least. Illinois's 6th Congressional District takes in O'Hare Airport, which is legally within the city, but feels like a suburb. The heart of the district is really in DuPage County, a western suburb comprising the towns of Elmhurst, Villa Park, Lombard, Wheaton and Bloomingdale. Residents in the 6th tend to be white and affluent, and have become culturally moderate over the last decade and a half. Legendary conservative Henry Hyde won his seat in 2000 with only 59% of the vote, and in 2004 with only 56% of the vote. President Bush carried the district with 53% both times.

Rep. Hyde's tenure as chairman of the International Relations Committee is coming to an end, so -- after 16 terms -- he is stepping down. The GOP has rallied behind state Senator Peter Roskam, probably the strongest GOP challenger this cycle, with a knack for raising tons of money. Democrats have nominated Iraq War veteran and political novice Tammy Duckworth -- a candidate with an impressive personal story, but who struggled early in her quest to take the seat. She had a disappointing primary result (barely winning with 44% of the vote) and subsequently fired her campaign manager. Since then, however, she has done a good job in raising cash. Of note is the fact that she is actually not a district resident. She lives in the part of Hoffman Estates that is in IL 08 (the site of another tight race between Democrat Melissa Bean and Republican David McSweeney). Her Democratic primary opponent, Christine Cegelis, used this fact to soften Ms. Duckworth's numbers in the spring. Mr. Roskam may be tempted to do the same in the fall.

Mr. Roskam would likely get a boost from a strong result from GOP gubernatorial candidate Judy Baar-Topinka. Though she trails incumbent Democrat Rod Blagojevich, she stands a good chance of winning DuPage County by a big margin, which would benefit Mr. Roskam.