Dems' Recruitment Failures Hurt Party's Brand

Dems' Recruitment Failures Hurt Party's Brand

WASHINGTON -- The White House had been working for months to talk Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan into running for President Obama's former Senate seat to keep it from falling into Republican hands.

Madigan is popular, has high voter-approval poll results, and was seen as the strongest Democrat who could hold the seat. But in an unexpected blow to the White House's political recruiting efforts, she turned down the president's request and decided to run instead for re-election to her present job.

Within hours of her decision Wednesday, Republican Rep. Mark Kirk saw his...