At one point decided by a coin toss, the race and recount gained national attention over the issue of abortion.

[1][2] The case was later cited by Vice President Al Gore's legal team during the 2000 Florida recount as precedent for counting "dimpled chads.

[4] Following the United States Supreme Court's ruling upholding a Missouri abortion statute in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, Pullen proposed similar laws in Illinois.

[5] Rosemary Mulligan, a paralegal and local abortion rights activist, decided to challenge her in the March 1990 Republican primary.

[6] The race gained national attention as anti-abortion and abortion rights groups contributed heavily to both candidates.