SPRINGFIELD - At their annual Illinois State Fair events Thursday, state Republicans tried to deliver a message of unity among members of the party, mainly by attacking Democrats.

GOP lawmakers and party leaders saw the warm August day as a rallying point for the November elections.

Democrats control nearly every facet of state government, and Republicans would need heavy gains in Illinois General Assembly races this year to wrestle any of that control back.

Still, the Republican message was clear: They want another chance at state rule after several years of Democratic control.

"We've got to use 2008 to rebuild the Republican Party," said state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington.

Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson of Greenville suggested the GOP would link local Democratic candidates to problems at the top of the party, namely the low approval ratings of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

He said top Democratic lawmakers should share the low ratings.

"They need to be held accountable and responsible, and so should their members," Watson said. "And that's what we're going to take to them this November in this election."

"If people continue to vote Democratic, the problems aren't going to go away," Macon County Republican County Chairman Jim Gresham said. "The message has to be the history of what's gone on here the last six years. If people want things to change, we're going to have to change the way our state is operated."

State Sen. Dave Luechtefeld of Okawville pointed out that some trends toward Democratic control can be traced to the corruption charges and later conviction of former Republican Gov. George Ryan.

Blagojevich hasn't been charged with any legal wrongdoing, but Luechtefeld said he hopes missteps by the governor help Republicans at the polls.

"We paid the price, and maybe rightly so," Luechtefeld said. "They've done an even worse job, and they need to pay the price."

The Republicans' message was largely the same as last year, but state Sen. Dale Righter of Mattoon said the extra time has helped the party organize.

"I think we've become more unified," he said.

Still, even if they are unified, there are fewer elected Republicans than Democrats at the state level right now. Some of them are concentrating on the upcoming presidential campaign.

State Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington is helping organize John McCain's bid for president in Illinois, and state Republicans are already taking aim at Illinois Democrat Barack Obama, trying to make a victory in his home state a little more difficult.

"If he wants to bring change to America, why didn't he bring change to Illinois?" said Andy McKenna, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.

mike.riopell@lee.net|789-0865