Sept. 15, 2002 -- The race for the newly configured 19th district in downstate Illinois is an match-up of incumbents described by many as "nice guys" who wouldn't turn the race personal -- a prediction that may or may not hold true as the November 5th election rapidly approaches.

Illinois lost a House seat after the 2000 Census, leading a bipartisan committee to draw a new district, the so-called "new 19." The newly-drawn congressional map pits incumbent conservative Democrat David Phelps of the 19th district in a race against incumbent Republican John Shimkus of the former 20th district for representation of the new zone.

Composed roughly of 34 percent of Phelps' old 19th and 60 percent of Shimkus' old 20th, the new district appears to lean Republican, having voted for President Bush in 2000 by 58 percent.

Shimkus appears to have trounced Phelps in the fundraising arena, perhaps somewhat aided by having a Republican in the White House. According to a December 31 FEC filing, Shimkus had $626,000 available while Phelps had only $370,000. But Phelps is not new to GOP-leaning districts. He won his conservative district in the 2000 race by 65 percent -- an area President Bush took by a lower margin of 55 percent.

In a mid-term election year where every seat counts and tensions are running high across the country about possible foreign interventions and the war on terrorism, both candidates will have to prove themselves to voters, particularly in this Illinois region with a strong focus on national pride.