* Rep. Darlene Senger has a new GOP primary opponent. From what I hear, he’s a pretty good guy, has secured about a quarter million dollars in commitments and could give Senger a real race to face Democratic incumbent Bill Foster…
Bert Miller said he had an epiphany a few weeks back, and it led him to set his sights, and his skill sets, on a new goal.
Flanked by his family and backed by nearly two dozen supporters attired in campaign T-shirts, the longtime Naperville businessman Wednesday morning launched his bid for the U.S. House seat representing the 11th Congressional District next year. The district includes a part of the Aurora area.
Miller, 66, emphasized the experience he accrued over more than three decades as owner of the Naperville plastics manufacturing firm Phoenix Closures, and said it will translate well to lawmaking in the nation’s capital.
* Daily Herald…
The other candidates in the race haven’t raised a huge amount of money. Senger has led the group in fundraising but has taken in far less than some other suburban primary candidates.
The run is Miller’s first try for political office, which contrasts him with Senger and Balkema. Senger has picked up support of local Republican members of Congress such as U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren of Winfield.
Miller is former chairman of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, a major player in Illinois politics.
Aurora private investigator Ian Bayne is also running for the GOP nod.
* Meanwhile, Democratic Congressional candidate Ann Callis didn’t sound all that enthused about welcoming either Gov. Pat Quinn or President Barack Obama to her swing district campaign against freshman Republican Rodney Davis…
On Quinn: “He’s been around the district. I don’t think it’s my choice whether I welcome him or not. . . . I’ve seen him at various events.”
On Obama: “Well, he is the president of the United States. I would never tell the president of the United States not to come to my district.” […]
(W)hile an Obama appearance might help Callis with Democratic voters in the district, it could lose her as many (or more) Republican-leaning independents.
As for Quinn, it’s not clear he’d be all the much help even among Democratic voters in the district, given his Chicago-centric base and general lack of popularity.
* Watch…
* In other news, Congressman Davis is once again coming under fire from his right flank…
A tea party group has launched a campaign to support primary challenges against all 87 Republicans who voted for the deal in late October to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling.
The Tea Party Leadership Fund, a PAC affiliated with the group TheTeaParty.net, began a fundraising push — dubbed the “Primaries for Traitors Fund” — shortly after the shutdown deal passed in the House, and they are now ramping up efforts to find “credible candidates” in each of the districts, said the fund’s treasurer, Dan Backer.
“From our perspective, we see this as a signature vote. You can’t be a conservative and vote to raise the debt ceiling,” Backer said. “I recognize there are some places where voters may actually think that was the right vote. And there may be places where you have an incumbent who wins with 90% of the vote every time and there’s not a credible challenger. I recognize that, but we’re certainly going to do our best.”
Backer says the group has honed in on a few specific members to start: Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, New York Rep. Peter King, North Carolina Rep. Robert Pittenger, Louisiana Rep. Charles Boustany, and most importantly, Backer said, House Speaker John Boehner in Ohio.
* But…
Despite raising more than $1 million in 2012, the group only spent around $27,000 in support of two Republican candidates last cycle, according to Open Secrets, and no money against Republican incumbents.
- OneMan - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:01 pm:
Phoenix Closures really old school Naperville, their facility on has work anniversaries listed of over 20 years all the time.
Hear nice things about the guy from time to time…
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:06 pm:
– You can’t be a conservative and vote to raise the debt ceiling,” Backer said.–
By that definition, you can’t be a conservative and pay your mortgage, either.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:07 pm:
Ahh, the litmus testers. Everybody is a traitor if they don’t agree with them 100% of the time. That’s a great way to win elections. Trash your own party members.
- just saying - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:09 pm:
wordslinger-
Are you intentionally obtuse? Exactly how does paying your mortgage increase your debt ceiling?
More nuggets of financial wisdom from the architect of the pension crisis.
- he said she said - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:11 pm:
He will give Senger a real race - a Hinsdale resident and Naperville businessman and will run circles around the Senger/Artl/Parillo campaign team. Would love to see Cross/Senger go 0 for 2 in March.
- train111 - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:11 pm:
So how do you raise a million, but only spend $27k in favor of 2 candidates and another $127k against Obama. That is some steep (nearly 85%) overhead. Sure can rake in alot of dough running a fringe PAC that feeds off of peoples anger and fears. They are no different than the birther websites–each with a paypal button. Peddle your nonsense at a steep profit.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:14 pm:
–More nuggets of financial wisdom from the architect of the pension crisis.–
Did I do that? And I got nothing for it.
On the federales level, you’ve already borrowed and spent the money. Refusing to raise the debt limit is akin to not paying your mortgage.
Or am I being obtuse? Thirty days in the hole!
- Demoralized - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:17 pm:
==Exactly how does paying your mortgage increase your debt ceiling?==
Let me speak slowly for you. The reason the debt ceiling has to be raised is that their are bills that have ALREADY been incurred. You have to pay for those and you can’t if you don’t raise the debt ceiling. Cutting spending to avoid future raises in the debt ceiling is a different debate but you can’t simply refuse the raise the debt ceiling in the short term. Hence the analogy to paying your mortgage. You can’t simply stop paying your mortgage like the dopes against raising the debt ceiling want to do.
- Downstate - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:20 pm:
Biggest hurdle for Callis?
- Downstate - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:22 pm:
(Sorry….typo)
Biggest Hurdle for Callis is not Obama or Quinn. It’s her first vote if she’s elected to Congress…..her vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker.
It’s only a guess, but I believe Pelosi may have a lower popularity in the central Illinois district than nearly every other politician.
- TooManyJens - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:24 pm:
== You can’t be a conservative and vote to raise the debt ceiling,” Backer said.==
Apparently we had approximately zero conservatives in Congress until Obama became President.
- steve schnorf stole my pension - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:31 pm:
More nuggests of wisdom from the take money from the vulnerable and give it to a politician. Thanks!
- Bill White - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:46 pm:
=== Rep. Darlene Senger has a new GOP primary opponent. ===
Well, that explains yesterday’s attack on Obamacare. I was wondering about the timing of that.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:49 pm:
“You can’t be a conservative and vote to raise the debt ceiling”
Now that is scary.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:50 pm:
“steve schnorf stole my pension”
If not sarcastic that is scary as well.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 1:54 pm:
===…You can’t be a conservative and vote to raise the debt ceiling,”===
Again, Slytherin House Republicans want “purity” … inside …their “Purity”
A sub-set, of a sub-set, of … a sub-set, does NOT a Party make …
Embarrassingly Pathetic.
- Lil Squeezy - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:10 pm:
“You can’t be a conservative and vote to raise the debt ceiling,”
If you have some free time go to the Tea Party Leadership Fund website. Their official site- not the fund raising page. The site has little information. They don’t even describe one of their 4 “candidates” as a candidate for office. But you need to listen to the video on the home page, it does not disappoint.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:21 pm:
“Primaries for Traitors Fund”
Nothing says patriotism like defaulting on debt and risking major economic harm.
- shore - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:34 pm:
Raised $1 million and spent $18k. WHAT?
- Judgment Day (Road Trip) - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:49 pm:
Bert Miller stays positive and he’ll win out easy. Darlene Senger is just way too angry - she’ll make unforced errors.
If Miller doesn’t get hung up in the social conservative ‘thicket’ of social issues, he’ll be a really serious threat to Bill Foster.
Hint: With everything that has occurred since 2012, there’s a reasonable likelihood that by November, 2014, it’s going to be all about ‘competence’ and ‘making the trains run on time’.
Bert Miller can own that approach, and that approach will sell in the 11th Congressional District.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:51 pm:
I should’ve noted up top that as far as I know I am not related to candidate Miller.
- Bill White - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 2:58 pm:
From the Bert Miller story link:
=== “I can’t say that I’ll always have the answers, but you’ll never catch me making them up,” Miller said.
* * *
“I will not forget them. I will not abandon them,” he said. “I will not consider them as faceless nuisances.” ===
If he keeps talking like this, the Slytherin House people won’t invite him to many parties.
Toga or otherwise.
- walkinfool - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:13 pm:
So Miller was head of an industry lobbying group, (did a good job if I recall correctly), and just now had an “epiphany” to get politically involved?
Laughed out loud.
He’ll play the political game well, as he has in the past, and Darlene might have a real tough opponent.
- TooManyJens - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:18 pm:
==It’s only a guess, but I believe Pelosi may have a lower popularity in the central Illinois district than nearly every other politician. ==
Meh. You have to remember that Davis beat an exceedingly weak Democratic candidate by only 1200 votes. Not everybody downstate is a Tea Partier.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:25 pm:
Here’s a tip for Ian Bayne’s opponents: move your garbage cans inside your garage, or better yet, burn your garbage.
Private investigators running for Congress? What is the world coming to?
- Fed up - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:45 pm:
Wordslinger
On the federales level, you’ve already borrowed and spent the money. Refusing to raise the debt limit is akin to not paying your mortgage.
I don’t know about your mortgage but every time I make a payment my amount of debt goes down not up.
- Deep South - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:52 pm:
“You can’t be a conservative and vote to raise the debt ceiling.”
How many times are they going to demonstrate that they have no idea what the debt ceiling is and what it means. It’s just so…well…party of stupid.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 3:54 pm:
Fed Up, you might have noticed, the feds keep borrowing more every year. If you don’t want to raise the debt limit, stop borrowing. The money’s already spent. Default on the debt would crash the world economy.
- Fed up - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 4:25 pm:
Wordslinger,
Yes the Feds need to stop borrowing to pay the debt. Paying your mortgage with your Visa card is a really bad idea.
Being fiscally conservative does allow you to pay your mortgage it just doesn’t allow you to use the visa to do it and then leave the visa bill for the grand kids to pay.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 4:38 pm:
===Yes the Feds need to stop borrowing to pay the debt===
First of all, it has always been a conservative principle that you pay back money you borrow. That’s like bedrock conservatism.
The mortgage analogy isn’t perfect, but the point remains: voting to raise the debt limit, and therefore borrowing to pay for things you already bought, is by definition, conservative.
What is ridiculous is that we have a debt limit at all. We’re the world’s largest economy and home to the global reserve currency. We shouldn’t have to beg to borrow more money like a child asking for an advance on our allowance.
- Big Muddy - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 5:17 pm:
Only helps Senger. Another white guy in the race, from Naperville? Primary white guy vote splits across three guys and Senger wins as the only female.
- Lincoln Lad - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 5:45 pm:
I live in Senger’s district, and have emailed her twice as a constituent. I never got any response. Glad to see someone else in the race…
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 6:49 pm:
Darlene Senger makes me miss Joe Dunn
- 1776 - Thursday, Nov 14, 13 @ 10:19 pm:
Bert Miller is a class act and he’s running for the right reasons. It’s all about jobs and the economy.