* Add Jim Watson to the list…

State Rep. Jim Watson, R-Jacksonville, said Monday he’s interested in being appointed as the GOP candidate for the U.S. House in the new 13th Congressional District.

“I’m looking at it,” Watson said, although he called his review “strictly exploratory at this point.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, won the March 20 primary election, but then announced he wouldn’t run in November.

Watson’s home is not in the new 13th, but that would not preclude him running for the office. If he were to run and win, “I would move to Springfield for sure,” Watson said.

* Meanwhile, state Rep. Adam Brown (R-Decatur) has dropped out of contention, according to McLean County Republican Chairman John Parrott. Chairman Parrott hosted a luncheon yesterday and six potential candidates showed up…

Six Republicans seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson on the 13th Congressional District ballot this fall avoided criticizing each other in a forum Monday, but they were less kind to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi was the foil for the six men — state Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington; former state Rep. Mike Tate of Springfield; state Sen. Kyle McCarter of Lebanon; Rodney Davis of Taylorville, an aide to U.S. Rep. John Shimkus; Jerry Clarke, a top aide to U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren; and Bloomington businessman David Blumenshine — who hope to be chosen by GOP county chairmen as the replacement for Johnson. He announced 10 days ago that he would not run for a seventh term.

“Dr. (David) Gill, who is the Democrat nominee in this district, I know him very well,” said Clarke, formerly the chief of staff for Johnson. “I ran Tim Johnson’s campaigns against him. He’s run against Tim three times so I know Dr. Gill and I know the district. I’d like to beat Dr. Gill a fourth time to make sure that Nancy Pelosi doesn’t become speaker again.”

“We know Nancy Pelosi and the national Democrats want to recover the House and they don’t care where they get the seats,” Brady said. “The Democratic National Committee will pour money into any district where a glimmer of hope exists and of course that includes the 13th.”

* In other news, political competition is a good thing, but I doubt they’re gonna find much of a competitor…

t’s not looking like the Democratic Party will find a candidate to run against Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger in the new 16th Congressional District.

So a group of concerned citizens, along with Democratic Party precinct committeeman Dan Kenney, says they’re looking for a qualified independent candidate.

“We are looking for someone who is able to represent the citizens who have battled with health issues and have had trouble funding insurance,” Kenney said.

The group will meet in DeKalb this weekend. The Citizen’s Convention will be held at the Unitarian Church on Fourth Street starting at 2 p.m. Saturday.