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Subscribe to RSSIn addition to Tuesday's closely watched Republican presidential primary, Illinois will also be holding congressional primaries in both parties. And with the state losing one seat -- from 19 congressional districts to 18 -- there are several interesting matchups worth watching Tuesday night:
IL-16 (R-Don Manzullo; north IL counties)
This is a nasty Republican primary that pits two GOP incumbents against each other -- young v. old. Freshman Adam Kinzinger is facing 10-term Rep. Don Manzullo. At age 34 Kinzinger is exactly half the age of 68-year-old Manzullo. The Young Guns PAC of Eric Cantor is backing Kinzinger, and this week the PAC went up with $50,000 in ads against Manzullo.
But while the House GOP leadership seems to favor Kinzinger, it's Manzullo who has played up his Tea Party support and endorsement from FreedomWorks PAC.
Polls from last month showed Manzullo up by double digits, but private polls show the race too close to call. The two congressmen have battled bitterly over who is more fiscally conservative, with Kinzinger saying Manzullo voted to raise the deficit 12 times in his career, while Manzullo counters about his votes to cut the government spending.
IL-8 (R-Joe Walsh) (Chicago northwest suburbs: Schaumburg, Elgin)
This is a totally redrawn district that now strongly favors Democrats. It is the Democrats' best chance to pick up a seat in Illinois, as incumbent freshman Republican Joe Walsh -- a Tea Party favorite -- is expected to lose in November to whomever Democrats end up electing in their primary.
But the Democratic primary is shaping up to be a barn burner. It pits well known disabled Iraq veteran Tammy Duckworth against former Obama campaign adviser Raji Krishnamoorthi.
Krishnamoorthi, a Harvard-educated scientist, lost a close race for Illinois state treasurer in 2010. If Krishnamoorthi wins he would be the first Indian-born member of Congress, but he is up against formidable opponent in Duckworth. Now wheel-chair bound, Duckworth made national headlines when her Blackhawk helicopter was shot down over Iraq in 2004. She nearly won a congressional seat six years ago, and more recently served in the Obama administration in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Though Duckworth has much higher name recognition, and despite calls from David Axelrod to drop out, Krishnamoorthi has run a strong campaign and held his own in fundraising.
IL-2 (D-Jesse Jackson Jr.; South Side Chicago and suburbs)
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is in a surprisingly close Democratic primary, trying to fend off former House member Debbie Halvorson. Redistricting pushed a lot of Halverson's old district into the new 2nd congressional district, even though the district is still over 50% African American.
There is no love lost between Jackson and Halvorson: Halvorson accuses Jackson of being an ineffective member of Congress, and has repeatedly used a long proposed airport project to argue that Jackson hasn’t been able to deliver for his district. Jackson is backed by Nancy Pelosi and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The two candidates have traded barbs over who is more loyal to President Obama. Jackson has run ads saying Halvorson voted against Obama 88 times; Halvorson denies that. Polls are close, but Jackson should survive this primary challenge.
IL-12 (D-Open; SW corner of the state; Carbondale and eastern suburbs of St. Louis)
This is an open seat due to Rep. Jerry Costello's abrupt decision last fall to retire after holding the seat for 22 years.
On the Democratic side, they think they have a strong candidate in former St. Clair County Schools Superintendent Brad Harriman, who has outgoing Rep. Costello's endorsement.
The action will be on the Republican side -- where former Belleville mayor Roger Cook is running against 29 year old millionaire businessman Jason Plummer. Plummer, who was the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor two years ago, is a conservative up and comer.
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Not a chance!
I will proudly be casting MY vote tomorrow for Tammy Duckworth!
Joe the Dead Beat Daddy needs to GO back to the hole he crawled out of with the rest of the tea baggers!
PS: Of course, if Tammy should somehow lose, Raji will get MY vote in November!
Hey First Read - you forgot one;
YES WE CAN!
I liked Tammy Duckworth from the first time I ever read about her.
Feisty, seeing dead-beat dad Joe Walsh go down in November will be a good night. Even though the district no longer favors him, with his screaming rants at constituents I doubt he did himself any favors even with republicans.
It will be interesting to watch all the results tomorrow night. I hope they include coverage of the congressional battles as well as the GOP presidential wannabees.
I hope the good people of IL show more enthusiasm tomorrow than some of these people have shown in other states. With the various congressional seats at stake it should get a lot of people to the polls.
The only way to change the House if high numbers of people show their support to change in the primaries. I hope that IL sets the stage for the rest of the country that there is an immediate change necessary for this country to coalesce in a positive way by unseating a lot of the Tea Party folks that tried to take root in 2010.
Katheryn,
The first time the hubby & I saw Ms. Ducworth was when she ran the first time, on Hardball with Chris Matthews, 6 years ago. We both really liked her and wished we could transplant her here to represent us! Ah, well, Florida's loss is going to be great for the people in this Illinois district!
phine - yeah, I want to transplant good people to my area all the time! We have good people here, it just seems sometimes they get drowned out.
Katheryn,
BTW, LOVED your Afghanistan post 6.25 on First Thoughts. Well done. Brought it up to a friend when I was listening to Louis this morning. :)
phine - thank you - I feel honored.
Katheryn,
Not a problem. Well worth mentioning. Look forward to hearing any new albums you may want to bring over.
Plus 10 for Tammy, minus ten for Joe. I hope this will be the end of that piece of doggie doo Walsh.
DUCKWORTH 2012 - Go Tammy
Looks like a lot of activity to be enjoyed in IL tomorrow. Should be exciting to see what happens
Yes, it will. Will be nice to hear coverage of something other than just the GOP presidential candidates.
fiesty is soooo prepared she is going to vote several times once for every name she is given. Because she is a voting machine, lmao : ) *popcorn* if you have time with your busy voting schedule tomorrow.
Mitt Romney told voters in Mobile, AL "and you guys by voting multiple times can make a difference. hehehe". Now that was funny, wasn't it?
Funny if your a Republican, a fact if you are a moonbat.
Figures, you find it funny to joke about casting multiple votes as long as it is conservatives doing the joking. Please note that Feisty said she would be casting "my vote", not multiple votes, just one. Have a nice day, "moonbat". Note, you name called first and according to conservatives, that means it's okay for others to do the same.
Note, you name called first and according to conservatives, that means it's okay for others to do the same.
Isn't it the GOP supporters who cry foul quick and often when anyone says anything of a personal nature toward them but it seems perfectly acceptable in their tiny minds to do it to someone else?
You kids fight nice!
Sounds like it should be a close race according to the article between Duckworth and Krischnamoorthi. But also according to the article you can finally say goodbye to Walsh.
Good afternoon nomoresameo,
Owing a $117K in back child support has a tendency to do that!
Good one feisty, or you could say it's because------This is a totally redrawn district that now strongly favors Democrats. It is the Democrats' best chance to pick up a seat in Illinois, as incumbent freshman Republican Joe Walsh -- a Tea Party favorite -- is expected to lose in November to whomever Democrats end up electing in their primary. :)~
Hello Feisty! Great to be back and see you here. From the comments in the previous article it sounds like you and Bev enjoyed some good time together with your friend from KC. Good for all of you.
Owing a $117K in back child support has a tendency to do that!
Yeah, being a dead beat should send a loud message to anyone voting that he doesn't deserve to hold office. People who fail to pay child support is beyond my comprehension. It is their child for goodness sake. Why would anyone neglect to help support the child? total flake I guess.
UAW,
PUHLEESE - the deadbeat daddy only WON in 2010 (prior to the redistricting) by 296 votes... lol
Hardly a resounding victory!
The creep is such a 'fiscal conservative' - he screws his kids out of what is OWED to them!
Old Joe had enough $$$ to take his girlfriend on exotic vacations though...
Aren't priorities a wonderful thing?
How sad is it, that the only thing that gets rid of bad Representitives sometimes is re-districting. (And decent Reps lose their seats that way too.) seems like Democratic and Republican voters should be able to agree on a certain standard for our public servants.
Joe Walsh also screamed at constituents with regularity which, added to the $117,000 he owes his children, really makes voters, R or D, question the man not just the politics.
Uh, hate to break it to you, but you guys have a problem.
See, Obama? Lied about his dying mother- which got outed by a very respected reporter. New York Times reporter, in fact.
Well, we know how badly Obama felt, right? I believe the response to inquiries was that he "did not dispute" the book's findings. Sort of hoped it would go away- and the media, ever mindful of their mission not to report on the "scandal du jour"- pretended it never happened.
So, for all of you who think Obama is the smartest guy ever born, how do you explain this?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-road-weve-traveled-a-misleading-account-of-obamas-mother-and-her-insurance-dispute/2012/03/18/gIQAdDd4KS_blog.html
He put it in his campaign film. The man's ego really does know no bounds.
A great thought Amy: (seems like Democratic and Republican voters should be able to agree on a certain standard for our public servants.) But all to often along comes another newbie who sets the bar a little lower than before. Very sad indeed.
I agree 100%!!!!!!!!
If he is found to be guilty, kick his ass out!
Too bad the wishy-washy looney libs weren't consistent.....Their love of wealthy 1%ers paying taxes is wholly missed on Tim "Tax Cheat" Geithner, Charles Rangel, et al.
Cheating is cheating....throw em all out!
Just when the day seemed to be taking on a nice rhythm along comes Joe to try and erase it.
nomoresameo,
We SURE did!
Great Food - Lot's of Laughs - Gorgeous weather & Good Times... who could ask for anything more?
Ignore her - if she can't find a meal - she'll leave! ;o)
nomoresameo---I saw quotes of Dead Beat Dad Joe Walsh where he railed against increases in the debt ceiling and against spending because he didn't want to leave his children with "more debt". Who knew he meant more debt that he personally owed them? If that guy can win re-election I will really shake my head.
Great Food - Lot's of Laughs - Gorgeous weather & Good Times... who could ask for anything more?
Not me!
Glad to hear that you had such a great day together. Still envious of the weather you're enjoying there. There was a light dusting of snow last night here but today is starting off with sun, so I'm happy about the change.
So Michael, don't Romney's off-shore accounts mean he isn't paying his share of taxes? Just because it's legal doesn't make it right. Anyone who wants to be President should at least have all his money on-shore rather than vacationing in the Caymen Islands and skiing the Swiss Alps.
Steeler Fan....................... How does the guy say things like that while looking someone in the eye and keeping a straight face? I would be looking into an instant recount if the guy even comes close to winning re-election.
Jody,
You aren't honestly trying to deflect from what I typed about all cheaters, are you??? Whether child support cheats, tax cheats, or relationship cheats...... are all scumbags.
I merely said be consistent and you find a way to disagree....lol....don't be a hack
P.S.
Anyone that wants to be in charge of our country's tax collecting agency should have his taxes paid in full and not be an evader!
Jody,
If it's legal it DOES make it right.
See Jody, that's why we have laws. Pretty sure the IRS would have come after him if it was illegal.
Jesus, if it weren't for double standards, Democrats would have no standards at all!
Now THAT was some funny sheeet!...lmao....and ohhh so true!
Nope, Michael, not deflecting at all; didn't mention your comment about Walsh, didn't defend anyone either, did I? Just asking why you ignore Romney's off-shore accounts to evade taxes on multi-millions while pointing fingers at liberals. Seems the one doing the deflecting is you Michael--and why the name calling? My comment to you was respectful but your response suggests I am a "hack" and twists what I said into something I did not say.
No, WCA, just because it is legal does not make it right.
Jody,
Is burning a flag right?
Cuz, I'm pretty sure you and your buds, defend it because it's legal.
WCA,
Off topic, but Peyton is going to Denver. What do you think?
LOVE IT!!!! Been a Denver fan since the early 80's when I was transferred there for a few years. Now the question is: where/how does Tebow fit?
Hey phine,
I think Tim Tebow is coming home and the Broncos are going to the Super Bowl.
Tebow lands in Jacksonville, Gabbert goes to 2nd string and Floridians rejoice!
I have to admit being surprised. Really thought with Manning's Tennessee roots, he would sign with the Titans. Local tv is really doing a "Tebow watch" here. He would fill the stands, that's for sure. And Gabbert should be grateful after the pounding he took last year! Plus, Tebow would have MoJo. That would be a help to him!
Denver is going to be strong. Super Bowl? A certain gentleman from the Patriots (Mr. Brady), might disagree with you there! LOL!
(Oh, just heard Miami may make a play for Tebow)
Miami is hurting, that is for sure. Tebow puts people in the seats immediately, wherever he goes.
Miami lost out on Manning. I thought that is where he would end up, but Elway probably laid it on thick.
Who would have thunk that Tebow would be the consolation prize in the Manning sweepstakes.
Ain't Sports great?
Just saw contract they are working out - 5yr/95 mil. Just working on the guaranteed money. Wow! Now, question is what kind of receivers will the Broncos try and get for Peyton. Wasn't the lack of receivers part of the rap against Denver last year?
Denver will find at least one receiver in Free Agency phine. They have some good young prospects. Plus Manning makes good receivers look great.
x
Sorry, meant to post my off topic question about Peyton here!
Anybody feel like chasing tails with WCA? Cause that's all it would be with his circular arguments. He's already try to defelect and change the topic.
Hey phine, is that confirmed? I haven't heard anything concrete. He's met and tried out for a lot of teams and I heard him say he would not sign with Miami.
After Phine posted the comment I went to the sports section to read about it. The Denver execs and Manning are working out the details at this time.
kingof myhill,
ESPN says that Peyton has informed 49ers and Titans of his intention to sign with Denver.
Please send Tebow back to Jacksonville - we need all the help we can get!!!
Denver is reporting they will try and trade Tebow as soon as contract is official with Manning.
Well that one really surprises me. I thought the Broncos were sold on Tebow and Peyton would go to maybe the 49er's
king,
Now the 49ers will have to play kiss and make up with Alex Smith (he visited Miami over the weekend).
More news you will never hear about on MSNBC:
Even the Washington Post cant stomach the recycling of lies about Obama's mother's health insurance, in the Obama campaign video.
Bad enough Obama completely misled the public about his mother's health insurance in the 2008 campaign. It was only discovered accidentally, when a liberal NY Times reporter who wrote a gushy book about Obama's mother found out the real circumstances. Not that she wanted to , but it did come out.
But, doubling down, the Obama campaign brazenly includes the same misleading narrative in its campaign film . Three Pinocchios is not enough for this!
Expect the liberal media, besides the Post, to ignore this.
They aren't going to have a real long time to settle things. It's practically April!
king,
Hubby just got home, he has the remote locked in his hand on ESPN. At least Peyton signing now gives teams time to trade and work out their plans for the draft. (Unlike a certain Mr. Farve did)
Since I am not from Illinois and can not vote please please cast any and all votes against Joe Walsh whenever possible. He is even a disgrace to the TEA and Republican Party.
Manzullo has built a career delivering federal largesse to farmers in his district... that's not a conservative. That's an entrenched incumbent, of almost 20 years, who spends each term focused on re-election.