By AP/KWMU
Chicago, IL – Former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka says it won't be a joke if he decides to run for US Senate in Illinois.
Ditka told a Chicago TV station that a possible run to succeed Peter Fitzgerald is very much on his mind and he's getting excited about the possibility.
The Illinois Republican party is looking for someone to replace Jack Ryan as the GOP's candidate.
And a number of top choices have declined to run against Democrat Barack Obama.
Senator Fitzgerald thinks Ditka would be a good man to follow him in the Senate.
Fitzgerald said today he thinks Ditka has a lot of common sense and would be a great senator.
He says Republicans would have a real shot at keeping the seat if Ditka ran, and he thinks Ditka as a candidate could energize Republican voters in the state.
Still, he says he wonders if Ditka would want to give up his current lifestyle to be a public servant.