No, Denny the Hutt isn’t looking to abort his retirement… but his son, attorney Ethan Hastert, is gearing up to challenge Democratic Rep. Bill Foster for his dad’s old seat. From Roll Call:
Attorney Ethan Hastert (R) has filed to run for his father’s former Congressional seat in 2010. The son of former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) announced Monday that he has opened a campaign committee for his bid in the 14th district, according to a report in the Kane County Chronicle.
The junior Hastert told Roll Call prior to his announcement that he has discussed the bid with his father, who “knows I’m doing it for the right reasons.”
The Hastert name carries some force in the district, so young Ethan will have that on his side. However, the 14th CD — like much of the suburban Chicagoland area — is not the reliable GOP turf as it used to be. Foster won the district twice in 2008 by convincing margins (including a 57% win in November), while the district embraced Obama over McCain by a 55-44 margin. Ethan will have to bring more than just a pretty name to the table… but so far, his lines of attack fail to rise above vapid platitudes:
Ethan Hastert, 31, is the only Republican so far to announce a bid in the western suburban Chicagoland district. He has never run for political office before.
“Generally, what I’ve been hearing is that people are not happy, not satisfied with our current leadership in Washington,” he told the Kane County Chronicle. “Quite frankly, people are ready for the next generation of leadership.”
Good luck with that, Ethan.
if his name will carry enough weight to gain some votes. The caveat, mid-term, higher knowledge voters will be the electorate and they’ll know the difference.
Foster outperformed Obama in that district in the 2008 election. In addition, with candidates like Lisa Madigan on the ballot for senate and Pat Quinn for governor, Foster will have a cakewalk. But I’d enjoy seeing the last name Hastert in the loosing column.
If a Democrat had delivered a similar line of attack? Would he or she be failing to rise above vapid platitudes also?