SPRINGFIELD - Illinois voters will not lack for choices when the primary election rolls around in February.

Monday marked the final day to file to run in the Feb. 2 and most every statewide race looks to be a crowded affair.

Barring any changes, Republican voters will have seven candidates to choose from for governor and another nine for U.S. Senate.

Democratic voters will see four candidates seeking to become governor and seven vying for the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.

And there are just about three months to sort it all out.

State Sen. Dan Rutherford, a Chenoa Republican, is a rarity among those running statewide. He is unopposed in the GOP primary for state treasurer.

He says the large number of candidates for other statewide posts is because those races are "wide open" and that the days of slate-making are largely over.

"There is no alpha candidate out there," Rutherford said.

Republican Brad Cole, who is among six running for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor, said, "This is the first time in a long time that there's been a lot of open races."

"There's an opportunity for new people to step forward," said Cole, who is mayor of Carbondale.

Among Republicans filing Monday to run for governor were Dan Proft, former state party chairman Andy McKenna and former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan.

Among Republicans filing for U.S. Senate Monday were Patrick Hughes of Hinsdale, Robert Zadek of Rockford and Thomas Kuna of Jerseyville.

On the Democratic side, Cheryle Jackson, former spokeswoman for disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich, filed to run for the Senate seat that became the focal point of his Dec. 9 arrest.

The lieutenant governor ballot will be just as crowded.

For Democrats, six have filed to be the No. 2 on the ticket. Filing Monday was state Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, whose entrance into the race means he's not running for re-election to his Quad-City-area seat.

On the Republican side, state Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine filed. He wants to be paired up with McKenna. He faces five other Republicans seeking the post, including Cole.

Like Ryan, Republican Judy Baar Topinka is looking to make a comeback. After losing to Blagojevich in 2006, the former treasurer is running for comptroller this time around. She faces two opponents in the GOP primary - Jim Dodge of Orland Park and William Kelly of Chicago, both of whom filed Monday.