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Monday, April 18, 2005

IL-6: Hyde to Retire

On his 80th birthday, today, Henry Hyde (R-IL) announced that he would not seek re-election to the United States House of Representatives in Illinois 6th Congressional District.

For the Democrats, Christine Cegelis (new website almost finished) is the most-likely challenger to whatever Republican the GOP throws her way. In 2004, Cegelis earned 44.2% of the vote against Hyde, a marked improvement from past challengers. Cegelis was buoyed by the support of a very strong grassroots network that included local DFAs that rallied around the progressive female seeking to defeat the author of the "Hyde Amendment." She was also a Dean Dozen candidate.

The candidate favored to challenge Cegelis is State Senator Peter Roskam (R-IL), a "favorite of religious conservatives." More much more coming on this race in the next few hours/days. It will be one of the most exciting of 2006.

Disclaimer: I am helping out Christine's campaign with online outreach.

Posted at 06:08 PM in Illinois | Technorati

Comments

Christine Cegelis seems like an excellent candidate and deserves every bit of support she gets.

The real lesson here is that if Christine wins in 2006, the groundwork was laid when she dared to take on a powerful incumbent and his war chest in 2004. Too often, we fall into the trap of focusing only on "swing states" and "swing districts," forgetting how rapidly demographics and districts can shift.

A candidate who upholds our principles is always worthy of support, regardless of the demographics, because even a failed run builds credibility and visibility for success down the road.

Posted by: Steve M at April 18, 2005 07:31 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment