And now you’re Democrat, Republican, Independent…?

It’s kind of the same reason I’m an atheist — I don’t really have one group where I can subscribe to all of their dogma wholeheartedly. I guess I would be Republican, in the sense that I want a secure border, I’m not into the welfare state, I’m not into all those freebie lunch programs. It just kind of demeans people. On the other hand, I’d like pot to be legalized and I’m against semi-automatic and automatic weapons. I’m not an NRA guy by any stretch of the imagination. I’d like alternative energy to be explored and electric cars to be used, but I want them to be powered by nuclear power plants. It’s a weird grab bag of whatever makes sense. I’m all for the morning after pill being distributed to every kid in school and I don’t like the idea of Coke and Pepsi being sold at schools when we’ve got a bunch of fat-a**es there. I don’t know what I’m for; I’m for whatever makes sense.

Why do you hate airport security?

I feel like obviously since 9/11 they’ve all been emboldened; they essentially wanted to be a**holes before, and as soon as the planes hit the towers, that was their ticket to express themselves the way they’ve always really felt. We just took a bunch of a**holes and deputized them. Just because you’re working security doesn’t make you a f***ing hero — it just means you’re not doing what you want to do. Nobody in high school says, “I want to f**k around with people at the airport.” You think you’re going to be a rock star or a jazz musician or an NBA player and the plan doesn’t work out and some cousin gets them the job and they work and they’re miserable.

Miserable, huh?

Look, here’s the deal: Everyone is miserable at their job. It’s called a job, but you can’t take it out on the customer. If you work the Estee Lauder counter at Bullock’s and you want to be miserable you’re going to get f***ing fired, but if you want to work security at the airport and you want to be a major a**hole, you’re not going to get fired because you’re there for our security. All I’m saying is to these people, “Hey drop your f***ing attitude, hero.”

What’s your take on gay parents?

Look, if something happens to me, I’d rather my kids were raised by a heterosexual couple rather than a gay couple, all things being equal. I just believe a mom and dad is better than two dads or two moms. I don’t believe this, I just know this. I’m an atheist, it’s not a religious thing, it’s a nature thing. Whenever I say this, someone says, “Oh, so you’d rather your kids be raised by a bigamist, junkie uneducated, white trash, racist heterosexual couple versus a very loving, well-to-do gay couple?” I’m like, “No, it’s everything being equal. Exact same house, school district, minivan. If the gay couple is a little bit richer and a little bit better and live in a little bit better school district, I’d give the kids over to the gays.”

You’ve got an interesting take on racial profiling, too.

I’m all for profiling. I’m for profiling and that includes age, gender, height, race and weight. If we’re looking for terrorists we’ll look for one type of guy, but if we’re looking for serial killers we don’t look for swarthy guys.

Why did you do ‘Dancing with the Stars’?

I was asked if I wanted to do it and I was scared, and I realized the second I was frightened that I should do it because there’s got to be a growth experience in there somewhere. And I did learn a lot doing it — I learned you can put yourself into an environment that is as far away from your comfort zone as you could ever expect to be and you’re not going to hit a home run but you’ll live and the sun will still rise.

What do you say to women who accuse you of being a misogynist?

“Get me another beer, b***h!” laughs

Originally reported by PopEater.com. Read the original article here.

Adam Carolla: ‘I’m Republican, But I’d Like Pot Legalized’ | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Victories Show that Illinois is Ready for Real Reform

This has been a great night for Republicans across the county and right here in Illinois. After more than a year of tough campaigning, the 2010 Election results are in.

The Chicago Young Republicans are thrilled that Mark Kirk has won the Illinois Senate seat recently held by President Barack Obama.

This is a real repudiation of the current president and his policies since leaving Illinois for Washington.

The CYRs are also excited that the GOP has won a majority the U.S. House of Representatives and that our state will be sending at least three, and hopefully four, new Republicans to D.C. including Adam Kinzinger, Randy Hultgren, Bobby Shilling, and we hope Joe Walsh. We especially congratulate Bob Dold on his victory in the 10 congressional district, his first run for public office.

While we do not yet know the final result in the gubernatorial election, the CYRs want to congratulate Bill Brady on running a strong campaign based on principles and reforming our broken state government. We hope to congratulate him on a win before too much longer. In the meantime, we can give a hearty congrats to Judy Baar Topinka on winning the Comptroller election and Dan Rutherford who will serve as our next State Treasurer after his victory.

The CYRs look forward to working with our newly elected representatives at all levels of government to put Illinois back on the right track to good governance and prosperity.

We would also like to congratulate all the amazing local Republican candidates who ran strong campaigns that represented the Republican philosophies of limited government, personal liberty, free market principles and limited taxation.

The CYRs were proud to help all Chicago area Republicans in the last few months by fundraising, calling voters, knocking on doors, dropping off literature at homes and placing yard signs.

This election is only the first step in a long process to bring reform to Chicago, the surrounding suburbs and the state of Illinois. The CYRs will continue to boldy lead that effort in Chicago.

###

For more information on what it’s like being RIGHT in Chicago, and for a fresh, Young Republican perspective on any issue, please contact Brian Matos at (312) 217-9491 or via email at bmatos@chicagoyrs.com or Meredyth Richards at (859) 230-8299 or via email at meredyth@uchicago.edu or visit our website at www.ChicagoYRs.com.

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Al Reynolds, who is considered the Tea Party candidate in Illinois’ 52nd District, has been unavailable to the media since saying that African American men preferred dealing drugs to going to college, because it is “easier.”

“I’ve been in the city and the dichotomy of the women and the men in the minorities, there is a difference in the fact that most minority women, either the single parent or coming from a poor neighborhood, are motivated more so than the minority men,” Reynolds said, when asked what he would do to increase diversity at state colleges. “And it’s a pretty good reason. Most of the women who are single parents have to find work to support their family. The minority men find it more lucrative to be able to do drugs or other avenues rather than do education. It’s easier.”

The room was silent as Reynolds made his remarks. (Video below) He continued:

“We need to provide ways that are more incentive, other than just sports avenues, for the men for the minorities to want to go to college and get an education and better themselves before the women have to support them all.”

The comments were made at a forum co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Champaign County NAACP, according to the News-Gazette of East Central Illinois.

The comments gave Reynolds’ Democratic opponent, incumbent Sen. Mike Frerichs, plenty to respond to:

“I’ve been in this community for a long time now,” Frerichs said. “I’ve been working in this community for a long time and I’ve worked with a lot of African-American men. They’re not pursuing careers in sports. They’re not trying to sell drugs. They’re trying to support their families. They’re trying to be good people.”

According to the Commercial-News in Illinois, GOP leadership in Vermilion and Champaign counties called on Reynolds to withdraw from the race–but his campaign has yet to respond to multiple calls for comment by various local news agencies, and he has not withdrawn.

“Mr. Reynolds’ opinions are in stark contrast to the core values of the Champaign County Republican Party and are personally offensive to me,” party Chairman Jason Barickman told the News-Gazette.

WATCH Reynolds make the comments here:

Originally reported by Huffington Post. Read the original story here.

Al Reynolds, Tea Party Candidate For Illinois Senate, Says Black Men Prefer Drug Dealing To Education | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Based on the warm reception conservative party chairmen gave the GOP Senate candidate last week during the Illinois State Fair, the Illinois Republican could do just that against his Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.

“How good did you feel when Republican Sen. Scott Brown was elected? I would say don’t let Massachusetts voters have all the fun,” Kirk said while speaking at a breakfast attended by GOP candidates and county chairmen at the Northfield Inn in Springfield on Aug. 19.

At the Illinois State Fair, which marks the unofficial kickoff of the two-month race to Election Day, candidates work to rally the party faithful to spend the fall knocking on doors and making phone calls on their behalf. In past years, Democrat Day was the event to see and be seen at, with the state’s leaders projecting victory at the ballot box. But this year, it was Republicans who had much to celebrate.

“It’s unusual in my experience in Illinois that we have the No. 1 targeted Senate race in the country,” state GOP chair Pat Quinn said before introducing Kirk.

Kirk, a five-term Congressman vying for the seat formerly held by President Barack Obama, wasn’t always the Republican darling in this state. He is a moderate who has for ten years represented a Chicagoland district — an area of the state where numerous elected officials have been accused of ethics problems. Kirk ran into difficulties of his own in May, when it was revealed he embellished his military record. Democrats have also accused him of being a flip-flopper in recent weeks.

But pointing to the decisive lead of Rep. Mike Castle (R) in Delaware’s open race for Vice President Joseph Biden’s Senate seat, Kirk said moderates are on the rise and argued he is exactly the right fit for Illinois in this political climate. And last week, many Republicans seemed to agree.

“There’s just an energy level we haven’t seen in the last three or four fairs,” Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross said.

“I think on financial issues, job creation, economic stability, people are going to rally around Mark,” he added. “They’re going to look and say, ‘Maybe I don’t agree with Mark on everything, but he’s running against a guy whose only claim to fame is being a basketball buddy to the president.’ Alexi hasn’t really proven himself.”

Giannoulias also trekked to the fairgrounds in central Illinois last week to gin up Democratic support. The state treasurer, who won his first job in politics in 2006 as a youthful and reform-minded candidate, Giannoulias told backers that “elections are about choices, and this race offers stark choices. We can go back to the failed, reckless, greedy economic policies of George Bush and Mark Kirk that has put this country to its knees, or we can move this country forward.”

But Giannoulias’ message, and the attempt by Democratic Party leaders to inspire unity at the fair, was trumped by a federal jury’s verdict in the corruption case against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) one day earlier. Jurors convicted Blagojevich of lying to the FBI on one of 24 charges Aug. 17,

“It’s obvious that the Republicans are going to use this, if they can,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters during a news conference in which he and Giannoulias announced a jobs-focused tour through central and southern parts of the state.

Illinois’ 10.3 percent unemployment rate appears to be a constant concern among voters.

“I just go back to the bottom line. I think that most people are going to ask the question, ‘What are you going to do as a candidate to turn this economy around to create jobs?’ That is the No. 1 issue, not just in this election but across the nation,” Durbin said. “And so yes, I expect the Republican Party to use this; it’s pretty obvious that they will. But I also expect that they have some questions to answer about their own party’s history.”

The state’s two immediate past governors, Blagojevich and Gov. George Ryan (R), have each been convicted of felonies, and even Democrats who proudly voted for Obama in 2008 are feeling disenchanted.

“I think we need to work really hard to get people to listen,” Linda Green, a retired state employee from Christian County said at the fairgrounds on Democrat Day. “The Blagojevich verdict, I think that’s a negative for the Democrats on the ticket.”

Fewer Democratic candidates and supporters attended their party’s rally at the fairgrounds this year, according to loyal attendees who said they were disheartened by the light turnout. Where in past years several Members of Congress took to the stage to deliver speeches, only Rep. Danny Davis (D) represented the House delegation this year. But Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine attended and emphasized the national party’s commitment to the Senate race, which he said “is actually a very tight race.”

“But this is something where 90 or 120 days ago it was looking really tough, but this race is looking better and better. The momentum is going Alexi’s way,” he said. “We feel like it’s going to be very, very tight, and so the White House is committed and Sen. Durbin obviously and the whole team is committed.”

But Giannoulias was not the party’s top choice to run for Obama’s former Senate seat. White House officials, including White House Chief of Staff and former Rep. Rahm Emanuel, unsuccessfully courted state Attorney General Lisa Madigan to run. Giannoulias won his party’s nomination in February with 39 percent in a six-way primary. Obama has visited his home state just once to raise money for Giannoulias, and White House political strategist David Plouffe appeared to manage expectations during a conference call with reporters last month, calling the race “emininently winnable.”

The race has grown increasingly ugly in recent weeks. Kirk’s camp has characterized Giannoulias as a “mob banker,” and Giannoulias has regularly accused Kirk of lying about his biography and political beliefs. Kirk noted last week that November’s election will also decide who succeeds Sen. Roland Burris (D), who was appointed by Blagojevich to fulfill the remainder of Obama’s term in the lame-duck session. Kirk hopes that issue, more than any other, will help inspire voters to get to the polls Nov. 2.

“When we win this race, both the regular election and the special election, you would send a 42nd Republican Senator immediately to stop the overreach in the lame-duck session of Congress,” Kirk told a group of Republicans. “That single vote that you cast may have more to do about the future prospects of this economy than any other.”

Kirk Hopes to Ride a Red Wave to Senate | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Just one day after he said he was “inclined” to support the measure, Rep. Mark Kirk on Tuesday voted against legislation that would help states pay for teachers and health care.

The $26 billion legislation was approved largely along party lines, and President Barack Obama signed it immediately.

Speaking Monday at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Republican nominee for Illinois governor said he would support the bill designed to prevent teachers from being laid off.

“I’m inclined to vote for that legislation,” he said.  “As a Republican moderate, my view is we shouldn’t add to the deficit. This legislation does make a number of cuts … that make it deficit-neutral. And it would keep teachers in the classroom. I will read further details, but I expect to be supporting this.”

To his credit, he did clarify that he would “remain someone who will look at each piece of legislation on its own terms.”

Still, Democrats pounced.

“After today’s vote it is clear that Congressman Kirk didn’t just lie about being a teacher, he lied about supporting them,” Illinois Treasurer and Democratic candidate for governor Alexi Giannoulias said in a written statement. “I am stunned that he would vote against an emergency bill to keep teachers in the classroom — a bill that is completely paid for and will save at least 5,700 teaching jobs right here in Illinois. Congressman Kirk’s vote today proves he is a typical Washington politician who will always side with the corporate special interests and against Illinois families and Illinois teachers.”

Kirk later defended his vote:

“Illinois is suffering the consequences of our state’s failed leadership. These failures put the federal government in a difficult situation. When I returned to Washington for this special session, I read Leader Reid’s bill and found it spent more, taxed more and borrowed more than any of the past bills I supported. I did not support the Reid bill because it added $16 billion in new Medicaid spending and levied another $9 billion in new, permanent tax increases.

“According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill adds over $12 billion to our deficit. As a fiscal conservative, I could not support this bill and will work to cut spending, taxing and borrowing in this and future Congresses.”

The legislation was approved by a vote of 247-161.  One Republican voted in favor.  Three Democrats voted against it.

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/kirk-jobs-bill-100399449.html#ixzz0wJ72TqQz

Originally reported by NBC Chicago. Read the original article here.

Rep. Mark Kirk votes against jobs bill he originally praised | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Thirty years old and new to politics, she has in short order become director of the Northern Colorado Tea Party and state coordinator of the national Tea Party Patriots, leading some of the had-it-up-to-here conservatives who have flipped the Senate race in this swing state upside down.

Now the Tea Party-favored candidate in the Aug. 10 Republican primary, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, has gone from long shot to front-runner in his race against former lieutenant governor Jane Norton, who is backed by the Republican establishment.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Michael Bennet, appointed 18 months ago, faces his own primary drama. Bennet, endorsed by President Obama, is being challenged by former state House speaker Andrew Romanoff, endorsed by former president Bill Clinton. Their rivalry reflects unease among Democrats.

So in a state many hailed in 2008 as the nation’s new bellwether, the Senate race has become a primer of the politics of 2010: A Republican Party driven by Tea Party activism, for one, and a Democratic Party trying to rally its base despite concern about the lagging economy and disappointment over the pace of change since Obama’s election.

Buck’s rise is particularly notable in a state like Colorado, not the most natural Tea Party territory. In 2008, Obama easily carried the Rocky Mountain State, which has a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators.

Even so, dismissed as a serious candidate at the beginning of the year, Buck now leads Bennet and Romanoff in an automated. Rasmussen poll taken July 8. The survey of 500 likely voters has a margin of error of +/–4.5 percentage points.

Findings like that fuel Republicans’ hopes that they could win control of the Senate this fall. To do that, the GOP needs a net gain of 10. seats, including pick-ups in swing and Democratic-leaning states such as Delaware, Illinois and Pennsylvania.

And in Colorado, where the race is rated a toss-up by the non-partisan Cook Political Report .

“It’s a very topsy-turvy year,” Romanoff says.

In most campaigns, a political résumé has been a plus. This time, it looms as a toxic asset among the most energized voters — conservatives outraged by the growing power and cost of government.

“She has more establishment ties,” Hollywood says disapprovingly of Norton as the Tea Party organizer surveys the Boulder County Republican Summer Social. Buck wins applause when he addresses the crowd, but Norton cancels at the last minute and the young aide who fills in for her is heckled.

“Look at her ties to John McCain and her ties to Bill Owens,” Hollywood says disapprovingly, referring to the Republicans’ 2008 presidential nominee and Colorado’s most recent GOP governor.

Among voters aligned with the Tea Party movement, she says, “They look at those and say, ‘Those people were part of the problem.’”

Getting ready for November

Norton has been moving to the right, at least in her rhetoric, while Buck seems to be sliding to the center.

In an interview, Buck sidesteps some of the furors that have trailed other Tea Party-backed Senate contenders, including Rand Paul in Kentucky and Sharron Angle in Nevada. Both won GOP primaries only to become enmeshed in controversies over whether their views were out of the mainstream.

Before the Boulder picnic begins, Buck outlines positions he calls more “nuanced” than those attributed to him in the past, when he said his views had been “distilled” and shorthanded by reporters.

He embraces Social Security as an important commitment to seniors, though he once questioned whether the government should be administering the program. He says he doesn’t want to eliminate the Department of Education, though he would like to convert its programs into block grants that preserve more local and state control.He says there is “no question in my mind” that Obama was born in the United States — an explosive issue among some Tea Partiers — but also says he “wouldn’t have a problem” with legislation requiring presidential candidates to produce a birth certificate.

Then there’s immigration, an issue that has helped energize his support. As a prosecutor, he authorized a raid on a tax preparer who had been sanctioned for helping illegal immigrants prepare returns. Nearly 5,000 files were seized in an effort to locate stolen Social Security numbers.

A district court called the raid “inappropriate.”

Buck supports Arizona’s tough new immigration law but says the limited resources of law enforcement should be directed at securing the border and arresting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. It’s unrealistic to try to deport all illegal immigrants, he says in the interview. Once the border has been secured, he doesn’t rule out considering a path to legal status for those who are here illegally.

A half-hour later, however, his tone is sharper, his voice louder and his emphasis different when he stands on a makeshift stage to address the crowd. At 6-foot-3. and with close-cropped silver hair, he is an imposing, plain-spoken presence. As a young lawyer, he was hired by then-congressman Dick Cheney to work on the Iran-contra investigation.

“People are sick and tired of the answer coming out of Washington, D.C., always being more government,” Buck shouts into the hand-held microphone. The problem isn’t just Democrats, he says: “We send Republicans to Washington, D.C., to change Congress and those Republicans are changed by Washington, D.C. It is time that Republicans start acting like Republicans again.”

He defends the Arizona law as an effort to complement federal efforts to protect U.S. citizens and ridicules the Justice Department’s lawsuit challenging it. “The federal government isn’t suing the cities that have declared themselves a sanctuary (for illegal immigrants) and have thumbed their nose at federal law,” he says. “Does that make sense to any in this room?” The crowd boos in agreement.

For Buck, 51, walking a line between energizing conservative supporters in the primary and appealing to more moderate voters in the fall can be complicated. That was apparent when former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo. addressed a rally for Buck in Denver the other day.

Tancredo catalogued perils the U.S. has faced, from the Civil War to al-Qaeda, then declared that “the greatest threat to the country that was put together by the Founding Fathers is the guy that is in the White House today.”

Buck didn’t applaud the line on stage, and he distanced himself from it as soon as the rally was over. “I love Tom; don’t always agree with him,” he told reporters. “I don’t think the man in the White House is the greatest threat to this country at all.” In a conference call later, he said he respected Obama.

Then Norton, 55, weighed in. “There was a real measure of truth in what Tancredo said,” she wrote on her Facebook page, saying “Obama’s brand of big government is a threat to America.”

Two days later, at the Conservative Western Summit, Buck said there was “a lot of truth in what Tom Tancredo said,” though he added that “the greatest threat, folks, is not a single man, but rather the progressive liberal movement that is going on in this country.”

Starting at the top

The least experienced candidate in this race is the Democratic incumbent.

Bennet, 45, had never run for office when Gov. Bill Ritter appointed him to fill the Senate seat vacated by Ken Salazar, who became Obama’s Interior secretary. Bennet was born in New Delhi, where his father worked for the U.S. ambassador. He grew up in Washington, D.C.

After graduating from Yale Law School, Bennet worked in the Clinton Justice Department, then became managing director for the Anschutz Investment Company. in Denver. He served as chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who then appointed him as the city’s school superintendent.

“He’s not someone those of us on this side of the Continental Divide had heard of,” says Bruce Christensen, mayor of Glenwood Springs, in western Colorado. He and about 30 other local residents are waiting in Anita Sherman’s back yard for a chance to chat with the senator at a $25-a-head fundraiser. Bennet arrives with wife Susan Daggett and their three young daughters, casually dressed for a hot afternoon.

The senator, conciliatory and low-key, apologizes for his limits as a novice campaigner, makes his political pitch and then fields friendly questions for an hour.

Afterward, sitting on Sherman’s front deck as his daughters get drenched playing on an inflatable water slide in the yard, Bennet says the primary challenge was unwelcome — the White House talked to Romanoff about accepting a job in the administration instead — but in some ways has been helpful.

The campaign has been forced to spend money and launch TV ads “earlier than we intended and probably would have wanted,” he says. “But on the other hand it’s made us sharpen our game. …We’re better than we were as a campaign. I hope I’m getting better as a candidate. I think I am.”

Bennet discounts policy differences between him and Romanoff and says he’s confident Democrats will unite in November.

At a $50-a-head fundraiser that night, however, Romanoff ticks off his differences with Bennet on policy, from health care to climate change, and hammers at the campaign contributions Bennet has taken from corporate interests, including in the banking and oil industries. “We need a senator for the rest of us,” Romanoff tells about 100 supporters sipping wine in the Space Gallery, an art gallery in Denver’s funky Santa Fe neighborhood.

Romanoff, 43, trounced Bennet at the state’s Democratic caucuses in March but has been far outspent by him since then. The senator’s 6-point. lead in one statewide poll in March had widened to 17 points in a Denver Post poll last month.

Bennet acknowledges he has had to build a political organization from scratch — and at a time some Democrats are disenchanted and Republicans energized. The percentage of Colorado voters registered as Democrats has been almost static since the 2008 election while the percentage of Republicans has gone up a bit.

Steve Bieringer, 63, a former field representative for the AFL-CIO attending the Space Gallery fundraiser, says Romanoff “has a very, very strong base among Democrats who are unhappy with the direction of the Democratic Party,” including what he sees as a growing orientation toward business. If Bennet wins the nomination, Bieringer says, “I’m going to think long and hard” about what to do.

He might write in a name or just not cast a vote, he says: “I’d be sending a message that the Democrats are off track.”

What message are Colorado voters trying to send? In separate interviews, the four Senate candidates use strikingly similar language to answer.

“We are so sick of the establishment,” Buck says of himself and his Tea Party backers.

“Angry, frustrated,” Romanoff says in describing the electorate. “They’re not just skeptical but cynical and hopeless.”

Norton, talking over coffee in a Denver hotel, calls voters “nervous, frightened, angry.” She adds: “They feel like their country is slipping away.”

When he addresses audiences, Bennet says, he hears concerns about the economy, the growing federal debt and the nation’s future whether the crowd is made up of liberal Democrats or conservative Republicans.

“Once you get past the first salvo of unhappiness and anger,” he says, “the content of the conversation isn’t really any different.

Susan Page reporting

In Colorado, reflections of an anxious electorate | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

State Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale said Tuesday he is catching up to state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, but he believes he remains about 220 votes behind as he continues to hold out.

“We want to ensure that all votes are counted and counted accurately,” Dillard said.

“This election is crucial to the future of Illinois and perhaps the Republican Party.”

But Brady was confident Tuesday he would still win in the end, saying “… we’re a little more comfortable today than I was on Election Day.”

Tuesday was the deadline for all election departments to have their remaining few thousand absentee and provisional ballots counted.

Before Tuesday, Brady was ahead of Dillard by about 420 votes.

Election officials have until Feb. 23 to finalize their vote tallies and forward them to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Dillard said he is waiting until that day before deciding on whether to concede, move for a recount or – if he comes out on top – declare victory.

For one thing, Dillard said, a clear picture of the final statewide vote count won’t be available until all the numbers are sent to the state election’s board. The extra week, he said, will also help ensure local counting was accurate.

“The tiniest mistake can swing a 200-vote election,” Dillard said of the seven-candidate primary that drew some 750,000 votes.

Yet, suburban numbers reported Tuesday did not appear promising for Dillard, who generally did best in the Chicago and collar-county region compared to Brady.

Dillard gained 163 votes in Chicago and the counties of Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry and Kane, officials from those areas reported after their final tallying.

Brady tended to lead downstate and figures for those scores of election departments were not clear Tuesday.

Neither campaign was providing exact internal figures Tuesday.

Dillard did downplay talk of a costly and legally difficult recount if he remains on the short end of the final vote tally.

He said Tuesday his losing margin would have to be “something less” than the roughly 220 he believed he had Tuesday to consider a recount.

“I want to do everything that I can to avoid a recount,” Dillard said. “The number would have to be very close for me to ever put my political party or the state of Illinois through a recount.”

Meanwhile, both candidates continue to focus on running against Gov. Pat Quinn in the general election, set for Nov. 2.

“We have to be in a position to take immediate action and we’re doing that, as I’m sure Senator Dillard is,” Brady said.

“So what you do is you have to be respectful of your opponent in this race, work through that process, and in the meantime you can’t sit back and just wait. You have to position yourself. You have to talk to people. You have to be in a position to where you can hit the ground running and actually make some contacts that move the campaign forward.”

In other campaign news, Chicago Democrat Scott Lee Cohen’s withdrawal as a candidate for lieutenant governor is now official.

The embattled primary winner’s letter of withdrawal was accepted Tuesday by the state elections board.

Cohen announced his withdrawal Feb. 7 after facing considerable pressure from Democrats concerned about his admitted history of steroid use as well as graphic domestic abuse allegations.

The Democrats’ state central committee will now have to pick a replacement to run with Quinn in the general election.

The committee is set to meet next month.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Dillard still down, not conceding in GOP Gov. race | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

At the same time, he wants to make it harder to pass state tax increases.

“I’m trying to give the government back to the people,” Brady said.

It’s still undecided if Brady or State Senator Kirk Dillard will represent Republicans in the general election.

Dillard is disputing the results from the Feb. 5 primary, and absentee ballots have not been counted yet.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

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Walsh backed it up by speaking Friday at the Tea Party convention in Nashville.

“Everybody has been asking me, ‘Are you going to be the Tea Party candidate in the general [election]?’” he said before delivering his speech. “My answer is yes, because this is not about party.”

Walsh said he did not believe that the Tea Party movement was fringe, as some contend.

“I’m convinced that the Tea Party movement is most Republicans, most independents, and some Democrats who are scared to death about the growth of government,” Walsh said.

Walsh emerged from a crowded field of six candidates for his party’s nomination, earning more than 30 percent of the votes. He will face incumbent Melissa Bean, a Democrat, in November.

“Melissa Bean is on the wrong side of this issue, of increasing government,” Walsh said. “You can look at her recent record. She voted for the health care bill, she voted for the stimulus program.”

Bean’s spokesman, Jonathan Lipman, said Bean was unavailable for comment.

“The congresswoman understands that the families and businesses of the 8th District expect her to stay focused on addressing the economic insecurities and on promoting economic growth, and she remains committed to doing just that,” he said.

Although he said the Tea Party movement wasn’t just one party, Walsh said he clearly was a Republican.

“I’ve been a Republican my whole life,” he said. “Back in the day, it was the smaller government party, and I think that’s what people want right now. I want to get my party back to that.”

When the economy began falling apart, many people’s first reactions might have been to use government spending to help, Walsh said.

“I would have said, ‘no, we don’t need government stimulus programs,’” Walsh said. “We need jobs, and the way to get jobs is to lower taxes, especially on businesses. Businesses are not hiring, and the reason they’re not hiring is because they are so uncertain about what the government is going to do.”

Walsh is a Winnetka resident who grew up North Barrington. He lives outside the district but said he planned to move into it.

Green Party candidate Bill Scheurer, who unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat in the 2004 primary, will also be on the Nov. 2 ballot. Bean, who was re-elected in 2006 and 2008, did not face a primary challenger.

By SARAH SUTSCHEK, ssutschek@nwherald.com

Read the original article from the Northwest Herald.

Joe Walsh: 
I’m still the ‘Tea Party’ candidate | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

“I feel like I’m losing my country,” the silver-haired Winnetka resident said earnestly, over and over and over again.

Proclaiming himself the tea party candidate, Walsh expressed disappointment with Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., and he spoke of the fear and anger people across the country feel today.

“If I’m way off,” the 47-year-old Walsh told the Daily Herald last month, “I’m not going to win this primary.”

He wasn’t way off.

Despite facing hurdles that included a lawsuit by his former campaign manager, lackluster fundraising and criticisms of earlier liberal stances on some political issues, Walsh easily won the GOP primary Tuesday.

He’ll face Democratic incumbent Melissa Bean and Green Party candidate Bill Scheurer in November’s general election.

Walsh faces an uphill climb if he wants to beat Bean, who’s a member of the high-profile House financial services committee, suburban Republican leaders said Wednesday.

He’ll have to raise enough money to spread his message and be competitive – something Bean’s last GOP opponent couldn’t accomplish. He must also appeal to voters in a district that once was solidly Republican but has sent Bean to Congress three times.

Fortunately for Walsh, he has nine months to do it, said Dan Venturi, leader of the Lake County Republican Party.

“If the election were today, I would say Bean would win,” Venturi said. “But we have (nine) months, and that’s an eternity.”

Walsh topped a field of six candidates to win the Republican nomination in the 8th District, which includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties. All of the candidates espoused conservative Republican beliefs – opposing abortion, for example, and criticizing the Democratic health care reform plan.

But only Walsh claimed to represent the activists who held tea party protests last year, and it was only Walsh who talked of their anger and frustration and the need for, as he put it at a public forum last month in Barrington, a “revolution” in Washington.

He took the vitriol further at that forum by saying the race against Bean would be a war and that “she will be overrun.”

The approach was a hit with GOP voters Tuesday. Walsh won with 34 percent of the vote, far ahead of second-place finisher Dirk Beveridge, who managed 25 percent, unofficial results showed.

The GOP’s Venturi called the win “a bit of a surprise.”

“I think Joe did a better job getting at the tea party groups and the conservative base,” Venturi said. “He did a good job running a grass-roots campaign.”

That effort must build momentum if Walsh hopes to get the support of the national Republican Party and attract the millions of dollars a competitive congressional campaign requires, Venturi said.

The GOP already is focused on the neighboring 10th District race, which will pit Republican Robert Dold against Democrat Dan Seals for the seat being vacated by Senate candidate Mark Kirk.

If Republican forces think Walsh poses a real threat to Bean, they might sink some energy – and cash – into his campaign, Venturi said.

“If it’s a seven- or eight-point race, they’ll put money into it,” Venturi said. “But they won’t spend $3 million if it’s a 20-point spread.”

For updates, revisit dailyherald.com.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

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Dillard, a Hinsdale state senator, told reporters on his way in that he believed he would ultimately secure the nomination.

Brady, a Bloomington state senator, and Dillard are separated by only a few hundred votes in unofficial tallies. “I believe we will be victorious,” Brady said.

Chicago businessman Andy McKenna was a close third but the Illinois Republican Party did not plan to allow him to address the assembled Republicans.

GOP Chairman Pat Brady, no relation to the candidate, said the party is not taking sides and would leave any decision on seeking recounts up to the campaigns.

Meanwhile, Gov. Pat Quinn said he’s the clear winner from Tuesday’s Democratic primary election, but he stopped short of saying whether Comptroller Dan Hynes should concede the race.

“I’m not going to tell anybody what to do,” Quinn told reporters Wednesday morning after greeting commuters at a train station in downtown Chicago.

“I just think that the results are in, the primary is over, the people heard both candidates and got a chance to vote.”

While their contest was a statistical tie, Quinn was a few thousand votes ahead of Hynes in unofficial counts.

The governor said he’s now looking toward the general evection although it’s still unclear which Republican candidate he’ll face in November.

However, Quinn doesn’t think the heated Democratic primary will haunt the Democrats this fall despite Republican leaders’ statements they’ve been taking notes about how to wage a campaign against the incumbent governor.

“If they underestimate me, they will lose and they should lose,” Quinn said. “They are not people who are putting together an agenda that’s good for the people of Illinois.”

Quinn said he hasn’t spoken to his likely running mate, Chicago businessman Scott Lee Cohen, and that he doesn’t know much about him other than the fact that he held job fairs for out-of-work Illinoisans.

Cohen is a political unknown who financed much of his campaign with his own money.

“I don’t like to have any opinions on things where I don’t know the facts,” Quinn said.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

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With 97 percent of precincts unofficially reporting, the Riverside Republican had a substantial lead, approximately 59 percent of the vote, over fellow contenders Jim Dodge, an Orland Park trustee and Metra board member, and William Kelly, a Chicago television producer and former director of National Taxpayers United of Illinois.

Topinka said Dodge had called her to concede.

“Mr. Dodge conceded in a genteel fashion,” she said. “He’s a classy candidate and it was kind of him to do what he did.”

Topinka said she had not heard from William Kelly, a Chicago television producer and former director of National Taxpayers United of Illinois.

Commenting on her victory, Topinka said, “I think the public understands that we are in a fiscal crisis the likes of which this state has not seen and they are going to entrust the fiscal office to people who know what they’re doing.”

If she prevails in November’s general election, Topinka says she will push for a balanced budget and for the state to pay its bills on time.

“We’re ready to hit the ground running,” she said.

On the Democratic side, with 98 percent of precincts unofficially reporting, the race for the Democratic nomination appears too close to call.

State Rep. David Miller of Lynwood has 46.4 percent of the vote compared to Hoffman Estates attorney S. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s 45.9 percent of the vote.

Clinton “Clint” Krislov, a Wilmette tax attorney had 7.6 percent of the vote. Green Party candidate nominee Erika Schafer of Chicago ran unopposed.

Miller wasn’t overly concerned with the tight race. He said he’s been in this position before. Ten years ago, he won his seat in the General Assembly by 29 votes following a recount.

“We’re in a better position than we were 10 years ago,” he said.

“We’ve looked at the numbers, where we are now and we’re very confident.”

As the state’s chief fiscal control officer, the comptroller is responsible for paying the state’s bills.

The treasurer also pays the state’s bills, in addition to overseeing investments and safekeeping funds.

The comptroller oversees about 300 employees and a budget of $118 million.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

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Dold, a small-business owner and attorney from Kenilworth making his first run at public office, rode a relentless ground campaign – including 60 stops on a tour bus the last few days – to defeat state Rep. Beth Coulson, who conceded defeat.

Dold emphasized using small business common sense in Washington and being fiscally conservative.

“I attribute the win to the voters resonating with the message,” he said. “We were obviously very pleased with the results. We’re not taking anything for granted.”

With all 511 precints reporting, unofficial results showed Dold defeating Coulson 18,352to 14,442.

Coulson, who had a lengthy list of endorsements, including former Gov. Jim Edgar and John Porter – the congressman who held the seat before Mark Kirk won his first term in 2000 – said she would assist Dold.

“I pledged to do whatever I can to assist Bob in the general election because I recognize how important it is to keep this seat in Republican hands,” she said.

“Victory in the 10th District may well usher in Republican control of the House.”

Seals, a Wilmette businessman, won his third primary and gets another chance to take the seat for Democrats.

“We worked very hard. A lot of volunteers came out from all over the district,” he said.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Seals had 47 percent, or 22,558, to Hamos with 21,947 votes, or 46 percent. Hamos conceded about 10 p.m.

“Everybody knew it would be a race to the end and would be very close,” said Hamos spokesman Chris Lackner.

“Voters were engaged in this. This is a smart district, it’s a very independent district.”

He said Hamos, the leading fundraiser among all candidates with about $1.1 million, would support Seals.

“At the end of the day, we’re all Democrats. The challenge becomes winning the seat in November.”

Seals had extensive name recognition and a deep volunteer staff. He ran well against Kirk in 2006 and 2008, narrowly losing both times.

“We were outgunned financially but we had more people and already had the relationship,” with voters, Seals said.

Rounding out the Republican ballot was Winnetka economist Dick Green, the largest fundraiser among Republican candidates, who was third with 14 percent, according to unofficial totals.

Highland Park pediatrician Arie Friedman was fourth with 13 percent, and Paul Hamann, an electrical engineer from Lake Forest had 2 percent.

For Democrats, Highland Park attorney Elliot Richardson was a distant third with 5 percent, according to unofficial totals.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

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Gov. Pat Quinn held a tiny lead Wednesday over Comptroller Dan Hynes in the Democratic primary. The margin of less than 1 percent was enough for Quinn to claim victory, but Hynes insisted the fight was not over.

Three Republicans were in a near deadlock.

State Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard, along with businessman Andy McKenna, were within about a percentage point of one another.

Brady, a legislator from Bloomington, was not among the leaders in most pre-election polls but benefited from being the only downstate candidate in a crowded field.

“You had five or six other guys from the Chicago area. It left the door open for us,” he said.

Quinn insisted he was the Democratic winner in the governor’s race. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, he led Hynes by 7,202 votes out of more than 896,000 cast.

“It was a close election, but one more than the other guy is a landslide in my book,” Quinn said.

He said the remaining votes were from Chicago precincts friendly to him, leaving Hynes with no way to make up the gap.

The Hynes camp said that with absentee ballots, tens of thousands of votes remained to be counted.

“If democracy means anything, it means we need to count all the votes,” Hynes said. “All the votes.”

One or both of the governor races could wind up going to a recount. Illinois law doesn’t require recounts in close races, so the candidates would have to decide whether to request one and cover the costs.

Tuesday’s first-in-the-nation primary did decide the field in the race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Obama until his presidential victory. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, the state treasurer and a basketball buddy of the president, will face five-term U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk.

Republicans hope to win the Senate seat and the governor’s mansion in November by exploiting Democratic turmoil and scandal, including former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s ouster over corruption charges that include the allegation he tried to sell Obama’s seat. The victories in an increasingly Democratic-leaning state would be another blow to Obama, already stinging from the Republican victory in a Massachusetts special election for Edward Kennedy’s former Senate seat.

The inconclusive results in the governor’s races postpones the GOP push to retake the governor’s office. Republicans don’t know who will ultimately be their nominee or their opponent.

Two months ago, it appeared Quinn would easily win the Democratic nomination. But he was weighed down by the baggage of his two campaigns with Blagojevich, his support for a major tax increase and a botched program that granted early release to some violent prison inmates.

The Blagojevich scandal could play a role in the Senate race as well.

The incumbent, Roland Burris, chose not to run because Blagojevich appointed him to the seat, sullying his reputation so badly he could find little political support. Obama, who cast an absentee ballot, tried to recruit some big-name Democrats but came up empty.

The Democrats who did get in the race had their own troubles. Giannoulias’ only previous job was working for a family bank that is now in financial trouble, and a treasurer’s office investment program lost millions of dollars for families saving for college.

Kirk is likely to question Giannoulias’ judgment while linking him to larger Democratic troubles.

“We know that one political party cannot hold all the answers and that one political party should never hold all the power,” Kirk said.

Republican leaders rallied around Kirk as their choice for the party nomination, despite complaints from some GOP activists that his support of gun control and abortion rights makes him too liberal.

Giannoulias signaled he will go on the offensive.

“As we saw in Massachusetts, voters are angry,” Giannoulias said. “For the past decade, Congressman Kirk has been a huge part of the problem.”

Illinois governor races too close to call | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Mix the high number of candidates with the short campaign season and experts predict that any one candidate could struggle to receive the majority of voter support.

“Every vote is going to count for the candidate you might favor,” said Steve Bean, Macon County Clerk.

With the primary date coming just one month after the holiday season, voters have had less than 30 days to acquaint themselves with the multiple candidates asking for their votes.

Republican voters must choose between seven gubernatorial candidates, six lieutenant governor candidates and six U.S. Senate candidates. Democrats must choose between six candidates for lieutenant governor and five for the U.S. Senate.

“It’s going to create some kind of ambivalence or confusion for whom to vote for,” said Larry Klugman, political science professor at Richland Community College.

The results of today’s primary will lead Illinoisans into a general election season where stakes are high for politicians, and the issues are serious for voters.

Read the original article from Herald & Review.

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Edward Dillard of Hinsdale died Saturday at the age of 82 from natural causes, according to his son’s campaign.

Dillard suspended his campaign activities Saturday night in advance of the Tuesday primary.

Edward Dillard was a history teacher and baseball coach for 40 years at Hinsdale Central High School.

He served in the U.S. Army, starting its first interracial baseball team, according to his family.

Edward Dillard also played in the minor leagues in the 1950s, was the MVP of basketball and baseball at Lakeview High School in Chicago and played in the All Stars at Wrigley Field.

“Edward always had good story to share for all occasions,” read a statement from his family.

“He was an avid baseball fan and his memory was outstanding right to the end. Edward’s vast knowledge in all areas astounded everyone he met.”

Edward Dillard is survived by his wife of 58 years, Martina, his children Kirk Dillard, Kimberly Dillard-Schaeffer and Karyn Mina Dillard-Gits and his brother, William.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

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On the Republican side, three candidates are in a tight battle ahead of the Feb. 2 primary.

Former state GOP Chairman Andy McKenna, former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and state Sen. Kirk Dillard lead the field, but none reached 20 percent, according to the new poll.

Read more on chicagotribune.com.

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

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In an epic upset in liberal Massachusetts, Republican Scott Brown rode a wave of voter anger to win the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy for nearly half a century, leaving President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul in doubt and marring the end of his first year in office.

Addressing an exuberant victory celebration Tuesday night, Brown declared he was “ready to go to Washington without delay” as the crowd chanted, “Seat him now.”

Democrats indicated they would, deflating a budding controversy over whether they would try to block Brown long enough to complete congressional passage of the health care plan he has promised to oppose.

“The people of Massachusetts have spoken. We welcome Scott Brown to the Senate and will move to seat him as soon as the proper paperwork has been received,” said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin said he would notify the Senate on Wednesday that Brown had been elected.

The loss by the once-favored Democrat Martha Coakley in the Democratic stronghold was a stunning embarrassment for the White House after Obama rushed to Boston on Sunday to try to save the foundering candidate. Her defeat on Tuesday signaled big political problems for the president’s party this fall when House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates are on the ballot nationwide.

Brown’s victory was the third major loss for Democrats in statewide elections since Obama became president. Republicans won governors’ seats in Virginia and New Jersey in November.

“I have no interest in sugarcoating what happened in Massachusetts,” said Sen. Robert Menendez, the head of the Senate Democrats’ campaign committee. “There is a lot of anxiety in the country right now. Americans are understandably impatient.”

Brown will become the 41st Republican in the 100-member Senate, which could allow the GOP to block the president’s health care legislation. Democrats needed Coakley to win for a 60th vote to thwart Republican filibusters. The trouble may go deeper: Democratic lawmakers could read the results as a vote against Obama’s broader agenda, weakening their support for the president. And the results could scare some Democrats from seeking office this fall.

The Republican will finish Kennedy’s unexpired term, facing re-election in 2012.

Brown led by 52 per cent to 47 percent with all but 3 percent of precincts counted. Turnout was exceptional for a special election in January, with light snow reported in parts of the state. More voters showed up at the polls Tuesday than in any non-presidential general election in Massachusetts since 1990.

One day shy of the first anniversary of Obama’s swearing-in, the election played out amid a backdrop of animosity and resentment from voters over persistently high unemployment, Wall Street bailouts, exploding federal budget deficits and partisan wrangling over health care.

“I voted for Obama because I wanted change. … I thought he’d bring it to us, but I just don’t like the direction that he’s heading,” said John Triolo, 38, a registered independent who voted in Fitchburg.

He said his frustrations, including what he considered the too-quick pace of health care legislation, led him to vote for Brown.

For weeks considered a long shot, Brown seized on voter discontent to overtake Coakley in the campaign’s final stretch. His candidacy energized Republicans, including backers of the “tea party” protest movement, while attracting disappointed Democrats and independents uneasy with where they felt the nation was heading.

A cornerstone of Brown’s campaign was his promise to vote against the health care plan.

Though the president wasn’t on the ballot, he was on many voters’ minds.

Coakley called Brown conceding the race, and Obama talked to both Brown and Coakley, congratulating them on the race.

The Democrat said the president told her: “We can’t win them all.”

Brown will be the first Republican senator from Massachusetts in 30 years.

Even before the first results were announced, administration officials were privately accusing Coakley of a poorly run campaign and playing down the notion that Obama or a toxic political landscape had much to do with the outcome.

Coakley’s supporters, in turn, blamed that very environment, saying her lead dropped significantly after the Senate passed health care reform shortly before Christmas and after the Christmas Day attempted airliner bombing that Obama himself said showed a failure of his administration.

Days before the polls closed, Democrats were fingerpointing and laying blame.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, head of the House Democrats’ campaign effort, said Coakley’s loss won’t deter his colleagues from continuing to blame the previous administration.

“President George W. Bush and House Republicans drove our economy into a ditch and tried to run away from the accident,” he said. “President Obama and congressional Democrats have been focused repairing the damage to our economy.”

At Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel, giddy Republicans cheered, chanted “USA” and waved the “tea party” version of the American flag.

Even before Brown won, the grass-roots network fueled by antiestablishment frustrations, sought credit for the victory, much like the liberal MoveOn.org did in the 2006 midterm elections when Democrats rose to power.

GOP chairman Michael Steele said Brown’s “message of lower taxes, smaller government and fiscal responsibility clearly resonated with independent-minded voters in Massachusetts who were looking for a solution to decades of failed Democrat leadership.”

Wall Street watched the election closely. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 116 points, and analysts attributed the increase to hopes the election would make it harder for Obama to make his changes to health care. That eased investor concerns that profits at companies such as insurers and drug makers would suffer.

Across Massachusetts, voters who had been bombarded with phone calls and dizzied with nonstop campaign commercials for Coakley and Brown gave a fitting turnout despite intermittent snow and rain statewide.

Galvin, who discounted sporadic reports of voter irregularities throughout the day, predicted turnout ranging from 1.6 million to 2.2 million, 40 percent to 55 percent of registered voters. The Dec. 8 primary had a scant turnout of about 20 percent.

Voters considered national issues including health care and the federal budget deficits.

Fears about spending drove Karla Bunch, 49, to vote for Brown. “It’s time for the country, for the taxpayers, to take back their money,” she said. And Elizabeth Reddin, 65, voted for Brown because she said she was turned off by the Democrat’s negative advertisements, saying: “The Coakley stuff was disgusting.”

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

Republican Brown wins Mass. Senate seat in epic upset, endangering Obama’s health care plan | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Endorsement and preference decisions were made by the board of directors after a careful review of candidate qualifications, voting records, candidate survey responses, and other pertinent factors that gauge the candidates’ suitability.

In the Republican primary race for Illinois Governor, the ISRA-PVF has endorsed the candidacy of Kirk Dillard.

The board found this a very difficult decision in light of the fact that the crowded field of candidates included long-time friend Sen. Bill Brady and exciting newcomer, Adam Andrzejewski.

In the Democratic primary race for Illinois Governor, the ISRA-PVF board of directors has expressed a preference for candidate Pat Quinn over his opponent, Dan Hynes.

In the Republican primary race for Illinois Lt. Governor, the ISRA-PVF board of directors has expressed its preference for candidate Jason Plummer.

In the Democratic primary race for Illinois Lt. Governor, the ISRA-PVF board of directors has expressed its preference for candidate Art Turner.

In the Republican primary race for Illinois State Treasurer, the ISRA-PVF has endorsed candidate Dan Rutherford.

A full list of endorsements and candidate preferences may be found at the ISRA-PVF Web site: isra-pvf.com

About the ISRA-PVF

The ISRA-PVF is a political action committee affiliated with the Illinois State Rifle Association.

A copy of our report is available from the Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, IL.

ISRA Political Victory Fund Announces Endorsements for Illinois Governor and Other Key Races | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Despite not reading the 2,000 page bill, the United States Senate is now on track to pass sweeping healthcare reform on Christmas Eve on a purely party-line vote. This ill-considered legislation will be detrimental to all Americans, and will have a negative impact on young people specifically.

The Chicago Young Republicans (CYRs) oppose this fiscally irresponsible healthcare legislation. Passage of this bill will cause the cost of health insurance for all Americans to sky-rocket.

Moreover, this bill will take away the insurance coverage choices currently enjoyed by more than 85% of all Americans.

The CYRs support helping those in need obtain affordable medical care.

But health-care reform must encourage competition, protect the consumers’ ability to choose the policy that is right for him or her, and not place the power to evaluate the efficacy of treatments and medicines in the hands of government bureaucrats as opposed to doctors and patients.

This bill does the opposite. It reduces competitions and choice. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report found that Obamacare will increase premiums by up to 13% for the 14 million Americans who buy their own health insurance.

Even more staggering a new study commissioned by Blue Cross Blue Shield found that under this legislation, insurance premium for individuals will soar 54% over the next five years; above the normal inflation rate.

While it is clear that the senate bill will increase the healthcare costs for American taxpayers, the CYRs are particularly concerned with the effect this legislation has on our generation.

Another study by the consulting firm of Oliver Wyman determined that this legislation will cause the premium price for insurance purchased by those under the age of 30 to rise by 35%, in short generational theft.

“The fact the Senate would push forward this legislation is shameful and irresponsible,” said Angel Garcia, Political Director of the CYRs.

“Our generation is tired of the government writing blank checks that we are going to have to be foot the bill for. It is just not right.”

The CYRs believe that Obamacare and the Senate bill will not improve healthcare in our country but, instead, will raise costs and limit access.

At 52%, the majority of Americans do not support this healthcare legislation. It is time our government pays attention.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Corrine Williams, 305-479-5683
CorrineAnnWilliams@gmail.com

Moonlight Passage of ‘Obamacare’ in U.S. Senate Unhealthy for America’s Youth | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.