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The QC Times has the scoop.
U.S. Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill., is endorsing his district representative, Phil Hare, to replace him on the Democratic ticket in the 17th Congressional District this fall.Jerry Lack, an Evans aide and a suitor for the job himself, said Evans informed him of his decision Thursday. As a result, Lack said, he is backing out of the race and will help Hare. “I was planning on running and now I’m not,†he said. “It was a difficult decision for Lane, but I respect it and I’ll be working to help Phil out.â€
Evans announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election this fall because of the need to focus on his health. He has been battling Parkinson’s disease for more than a decade. He will serve the rest of his term to the end of the year.
Evans spokesman Steve Vetzner confirmed the endorsement. “Phil has been with him since day one. He’s been his right-hand man and he’s the best person to build on Lane’s legacy,†Vetzner said.
[Hat tip to a sharp-eyed commenter] 
Rumor has it that Rahm Emanuel has his own candidate. You’d think he’d learned his lesson about this stuff. If the Rahminator was such a big issue in DuPage, imagine what the reaction would be downstate.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 4:13 pm
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There couldn’t be a better individual to succeed Lane.
Comment by Anon Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 4:37 pm
I hope Rahm Emanuel tries to stuff a choice down the throat of the 17th District. If he does, he’ll get the butt-kicking that he deserves!
Comment by Randall Sherman Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 4:48 pm
Well, Zinga just got a free pass at the 17th…we will now be represented by Congresswoman Zinga…does Phil Hare know he has to work to be elected?
Comment by AnEasyZingaWin Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 5:12 pm
Phil Hare has been a great labor guy and a good man for those of us in Macon County. He can be a passionate speaker and warm a good ol’ Democrat’s heart. He’s a very good candidate.
Comment by Da Professor Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 5:18 pm
Well, DaPro, some of us have had to endure Phil for 24 years…sooner or later, he will make you dislike him…just a matter of time.
Comment by AnEasyZingaWin Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 5:22 pm
can you say political gerrymandering in the 17th
Comment by scoot Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 5:28 pm
It won’t matter who Rahm wants. Lane Evans is an institution.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 6:38 pm
Of course Hare would be backed by Evans. But don’t think that means he gets the nomination. Still thinking if McNeil would get back into the state, he might have a chance.
Comment by Poltical Hack Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 6:46 pm
Why is Charlie Johnston posting pro-Zinga comments on here?
He went down with Zinga in 2004 and will do it again in 2006. We need a real candidate in this district not the same people who run multiple times like Zinga and Baker–and lose.
The only ones who have success are the lousy “consultants” like Johnston who collect a check for blogging all day!
Comment by Great George's Ghost Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 7:12 pm
Bottomline,it looks like Lane had already decided to retire and he wanted to choose his successor.He has no right to do that even if he has given us 20 some years of good progressive representation.The right to choose our candididate belongs to all of us reliable Democratic voters.If the thought of voting for a republican weren’t outright disgusting, I would be tempted to support Zinger.As it is,I may have to right in my own choice to protest the arrogance.
Comment by IndependentLiberal Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 7:37 pm
I nominate Gerald M. Ander for the 17th.
Geez, what an ugly looking district. It’s like Massachusetts and North Vietnam were conjoined at birth.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 7:45 pm
I see a lot of references to Hare as a “union leader,” but what union did he lead? And when?
Comment by Amy Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 8:26 pm
Gosh, GreatGeorge’sGhost, I hadn’t posted at all on this thread. But I wouldn’t want to make a liar of you, so now I have. And as for the candidates who retain me and send me many, all I can say is keep those cards and letters coming, folks.
Comment by Charlie Johnston Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 9:07 pm
It’s nice that Lane is loyal to his staffer. Does that make the staffer the best person for the job? Will the pct committeemen simply follow Lane’s endorsement, or will they think for themselves?
Comment by respectful Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 9:37 pm
I am a big fan of Lane Evans, but not a big fan of this choice. I hope Lane understands that when Dems don’t support Hare, they still respect Lane’s hard work. Phil Hare is just not the person for this district.
McNeil or Sullivan for Congress.
Comment by Lane Evans Fan Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 10:48 pm
phil hare is a good choice. phil is articulate, commited and smooth. you guys who thinks mcneil, sullivan of what’s his name, scholz are bereft of any sweious thought. McNeil is a nobody, Sullivan plays that dip-stick hey ha role to the hilt, but its tiring and will not sell and who is this Scholz guy, the only thing I hear about him is that the union hate him for being labor unfriendly.
Comment by here and now Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 11:06 pm
Phil is a great choice. He’s a great friend of labor and veterans and will continue Lane’s fight in Congress. As mentioned, Phil is articulate and speaks very well. His views are close to that of Lane’s and if Lane trusts him enough to endorse him, then I say go Phil go.
Comment by Anon Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 11:32 pm
What will Rahm do if he gets behind someone else and Obama backs Phil, now that will be interesting…Chuck Sholz has no chance.
Comment by rumor mill Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 11:56 pm
To “An Easy Zinga Win”, just because you don’t personally like Phil Hare, which is quite obvious, doesn’t mean he’s not qualified for the job. If you’ve been a Congressman’s District Director for 20 years, somewhere along the line you’ve probably made a few enemies, that doesn’t make Phil a bad choice.
Comment by rumor mill Thursday, Mar 30, 06 @ 11:59 pm
Is there a drugstore that sells a variety of products that help people remove that unwanted Hare? If so, we need to order that stuff by the truckload.
A couple points to make about Phil Hare: He’s been by Lane’s side since the very beginning. He’s got a close friendship with his boss. He did a great job crying and wimpering his way through the interviews immediately following Lane’s big announcement. But he doesn’t seem very sincere.
For twenty-some years, he’s been Lane’s guy to do the dirty work. And people in Lane’s position often times encounter and feel they need such a person to advance as they do in such an ugly business.
I would liken him to the Jack Nicholson character in the movie “A Few Good Men.” Especially when Nicholson is tangling with Tom Cruise and talking about the realities of his military service, and what has to happen in secret to make all the civilians in the US feel safe.
It’s a shame to me that Lane endorsed him and unfortunately I think that will carry a lot of weight. If the Republicans put together a good research team, my guess is that they won’t have to dig too far to start finding some serious skeletons in Hare’s closet.
Comment by Let the 17th Go Bald Friday, Mar 31, 06 @ 6:59 am
While I agree with AnEasyZingaWin - I do not agree with his/her screen name. No matter who the Democrats put up wil win. Andrea Zinga is a horrible candidate with a horrible reputation with the complete inability to raise money.
That being said I cannot stress enough how much or a horrible choice Phil Hare would be. There are so many skeletons in that closet that you would think the man raided a cemetery.
Phil is an obnoxious, backstabbing, self-serving man. He is completely insecure/paranoid and does not trust anyone. In short he would be an embarassment in Washington. In my opinion, the reason Lane’s campaign settled the lawsuit with FEC (remember that) after dening it is that the investigation got too close to Phil Hare - no proof just a gut feeling.
Finally, the fact that this vote goes to the precinct committeemen and not the chairmen still gives me hope that Phil cannot win becasue they don’t know him becasue he has barely stepped out of RI County in at least the past 6 years.
Finally, while I do not critisize Lane’s timing as some have I do critisize his endorsement. This was not a grand scheme to turn the seat over to Phil until after Lane decided to retire which I generally believe was announced no later than a day after he made his decision. But the inside info I have from friends in RI is that the only person to have Lane’s ear since that point was Phil Hare. No one else has had a chance to talk to Lane about their plans for the 17th except Phil. This is cronyism at its worst - which, if I’m not mistaken, has been a talking point for the Democrats in regards to the Bush Administration for some time.
Comment by DisplaceQCDem Friday, Mar 31, 06 @ 11:23 am
Looks like Schwiebert is mounting a campaign in Western Illinois. Hare seems to have burned a lot of bridges in 24 years. Look out for the GOP national $ to roll into the district.
Comment by Downstate Dem Friday, Mar 31, 06 @ 1:56 pm