I wrote this profile on gubernatorial hopeful Bill Brady before he entered a deadlock with Kirk Dillard for the Republican nomination.

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bill Brady addresses a small band of followers in a cozy, dimly lit Irish pub in Plainfield, Ill.

Despite the Sunday drizzle, about 20 people have gathered, clad in sweaters and khakis and the kind of expensive coats you see in catalogs catering to the faux-outdoorsman.

They listen attentively as Brady, who fills the gloom with crackling energy, speaks on the potential of their state.

“The number one issue is making Illinois’ economy the number one in the nation,” he says. “I believe we can do that, because we have the greatest assets in the nation. If you look at [the state] as a business, we’ve been underperforming devastatingly.”

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