* Jim Oberweis, Allen Skillicorn and now… Ted Gradel? You may be hearing more about him because Republican political consultant Chip Englander is working with his campaign to unseat freshman Democrat Lauren Underwood.

Here’s Gradel’s fundraising pitch…

I want you to be one of the first to know I am running for U.S. Congress in Illinois’s 14th District.

I’m a political outsider who wants to go to D.C. in order to get things done, not become a career politician.

After playing football for Coach Lou Holtz and graduating from Notre Dame, I moved to the Chicago area with my high school sweetheart, Sarah. We’ve now been married for nearly 30 years and have raised three daughters in Naperville.

I have spent my career in the private sector. The more I take a deeper look at the state of our country the more I see that the free market system that rewards ingenuity and work ethic is under assault. I’m running for Congress to defend our freedom and speak out against the false promise of socialism and a “Big Government” agenda.

I’ll use over 30 years of experience in the private sector to make our community a better place and fight for the future of our great country.

Together with my family I made the decision to run for Congress to restore and protect our freedoms so that everyone has the opportunity that I had to achieve their own American Dream.

I don’t have any ties to Washington or special interests. That is a positive in my book. But that means I am going to have to work harder and smarter than anyone else.

Will you join my campaign on day one?

Let’s send a signal to Washington to get ready for a political outsider ready to get things done and defend our free market. Join me today with a contribution to my campaign.

I am already working 24/7 on building a campaign from the ground up. I can’t do it without your help. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Gratefully,

Ted Gradel

* Tweet…

* Lou Holtz narrated the campaign’s first video. It’s not bad…

Gradel was an Academic All-American. You can buy his college trading card for $3 online. He’s a businessperson and a coach for the Illinois Rockets, a youth travel basketball club.