Meet Mike Niecestro, the self-proclaimed "disgusted Republican" who is planning to enter the race for US Senate in Illinois as an Independent. With the filing deadline to run less than a week away, the conservative Mr. Niecestro says he already has the 25,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot, will spend at least a million of his own dollars on the campaign, has raised an additional $100,000 and has a website to promote his candidacy.

Continued...

An independent yet conservative candidate will definitely bring a point of view that has been sorely missing from the two-man race between Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Mark Kirk. While Mr. Giannoulias is as much a Chicago Democrat as one can expect (he's a personal friend and strong supporter of President Barack Obama), Mr. Kirk has been a disappointing choice for many Republicans.

As Mr. Niecestro said in a recent e-mail, "There is no difference between Mark Kirk and Alexi Giannoulias. Mark Kirk would not support the Arizona (immigration) law. I will. Mark Kirk voted for cap and trade...I am a disgusted Republican who has had it with the people the party throws at us."

While that sentiment may strongly resonate with Illinois conservatives and is sure to make Mr. Niecestro a Tea Party favorite, his candidacy could also lead to a Giannoulias victory by splitting the Republican vote. The latest poll shows the two-way race is a toss-up with 42% of likely voters favoring Mr. Kirk while 39% favor Giannoulias. (source) That makes it easy to see how even a slight voter shift from Kirk to Niecestro can keep that Senate seat in Democratic hands.

But the same poll also shows 7% would prefer another candidate and 12% more are still undecided. Add that 19% to those Republicans and Independents who currently favor Mr. Kirk only because he is not a Democrat and Mr. Niecestro just might have a chance.