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Talk to any batch of Republicans around here for very long, and the discussion invariably turns to the slight dismay sometimes more over the choices for the gubernatorial nomination next year.

If only there were someone else running, many have said publicly and privately.

Well, there may be.

Last week, calls went out to voters elsewhere in the state inquiring about the support for Rep. Adam Kinzinger possibly making a bid for the governors mansion.

The Channahon Republicans camp has been quiet about the calls which, wed stress, do not definitely come from them. In fact, a spokesperson with his campaign operation didnt even return a phone call from us.

But, closed lips or not, it got us thinking here. The prospects of a Kinzinger bid would seem to be good just based on the evidence. Consider:

The 35-year-old is in his second term in Congress, and has built a strong conservative record. But hes done it with a rhetoric that hasnt turned off moderates. Hes been positive and constructive in any of our conversations with him, and has made rebuilding the GOP brand in Illinois a priority.

He has downstate ties grew up in Bloomington, went to Illinois State University, served on the McLean County Board starting while he was in college but now lives in the Chicago suburbs. Having represented two districts thanks to the political maps being redrawn hes a familiar face in about 20 counties, mainly downstate. Locally, hes served us in Woodford, Stark, Bureau and Putnam counties.

But those districts have also gotten to the edge of the Chicago media market, so hes known there. (Hes also familiar with those in the Rockford, Peoria-Bloomington and Champaign TV markets.)

His personal narrative is compelling, too. He left government service to enlist in the U.S. Air Force after 9/11, served multiple tours of duty in Iraq. To this day, he does service for the Air National Guard. Hes young, photogenic, well-spoken and got great press in 2006 before returning to politics for disarming a knife-wielding man who attacked a woman on a Milwaukee street.

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Word on the Street: Adam Kinzinger for governor? It could make sense