SPRINGFIELD - Republicans running for every statewide office except for governor have more than party affiliation in common. Each one of them, from the candidate for attorney general to the candidate for state comptroller, will still have a taxpayer-supported job if they lose on Nov. 7.

Secretary of state candidate Dan Rutherford, comptroller candidate Carole Pankau and treasurer candidate Christine Radogno all are in the middle of their terms as state senators.

Stewart Umholtz, the GOP candidate for attorney general, is in the middle of his term as Tazewell County state's attorney.

Only GOP gubernatorial candidate Judy Baar Topinka, the current state treasurer, will lose her state paycheck if she fails to beat Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Election Day.

In short: Beyond the shoe leather and the wear-and-tear on their cars, the GOP candidates in races down the ballot don't have much to lose by running.

"They are taking one for the team," said political scientist Kent Redfield of the University of Illinois-Springfield. "It could turn out to be a good career move."

That's exactly what Rutherford's opponent is alleging.

Democratic Secretary of State Jesse White recently said the senator from Chenoa is running merely to gain name recognition for a future run at statewide office.

White spokesman Dave Druker said the issue was raised because the secretary of state had heard other people talking about Rutherford's motives for running.

Rutherford's response: "Absolutely not. I'm putting in too many hours and asking too many friends for help just to think that I'm doing this for something four years from now."

A check of recent polls show all of the Republicans trailing - some badly - in their bids to end the Democratic stranglehold on state government. That's unlikely to change, given trends showing Illinois becoming more of a blue state, said Redfield.

What's more, none of the statewide races have received much attention as the campaign season hits its final month.

For example, the biggest news coming out of Democratic Comptroller Dan Hynes' campaign thus far came late last month when he urged U.S. Sen. Barack Obama to run for president.

Rutherford said he's getting ready to begin running his television advertisements. Pankau has made a recent push for free media by making stops throughout the state.

Each candidate is busy trying to secure endorsements from newspapers across the state.

Of all of the GOP candidates, Redfield said Radogno has the best opportunity to win because she's running for state treasurer against political newcomer Alexi Giannoulias, a banker from Chicago.

"Unlike the others who are running against incumbents, Radogno is running for an open seat," Redfield said.

Even if she loses, however, Radogno will still have her job as a state senator, which pays a base salary of $57,619.