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DCCC moves Baricevic up the list

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Illinois

* DCCC press release…

DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján today announced that attorney and small-businessman C.J. Baricevic has earned a spot in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) competitive Emerging Races program, indicating that his campaign has shown promising strengths and has demonstrated the ability to fight on behalf of hardworking people in Southern Illinois.

Since announcing his campaign for Congress, Baricevic has outraised his opponent Republican Mike Bost, was the first to air a television ad, and has received the endorsements of, among others, United Steelworkers and the Alliance for Retired Americans.

Baricevic is up against freshman GOP Congressman Mike Bost. We’ll have to see if the DCCC gets heavily involved or if this is just a press pop.

* From the Post-Dispatch…

But Baricevic spokesman Barzin Emami said that while the campaign would take the help, it had issues with the national party. He had said earlier this year that Baricevic would welcome DCCC support, and a DCCC spokesman told the Post-Dispatch in April that it would never take the Bost-Baricevic race off its list of possible takeovers. […]

Baricevic has been trying to separate himself from the national Democratic Party and President Barack Obama on two key issues: trade and coal. Both are important in Southern Illinois, as steelworkers and coal miners have seen their livelihoods buffeted by international trade agreements and the Obama administration’s clean-power environmental push, which has helped cripple the coal industry.

Baricevic argues that clean-coal technology should allow for a better 20-30 year transition away from coal than Obama has pushed.

“We have never really been one to cater to the national party,” Emami said. “We don’t agree with all their platform. We are Southern Illinois Democrats. A Southern Illinois Democrat is different from a Nancy Pelosi Democrat.”

Pelosi must not poll well. So, it’s sort of a double-edged sword. But I’m sure they’ll be happy to have the dough.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 1:03 pm

Comments

Speaking of Baricevic, what is the latest on the Bob Romanik race?

Comment by Saluki Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 1:10 pm
Encouraging news for Southern Illinois.

Now if only they could back and support a strong and qualified candidate to run against Cong. Shimkus. Friends of mine have run 5 times against him without absolutely no support from DCCC ( and I am not talking about the two times Angela Michael ran as a “Democrat” against him ).

Good race to watch, but Bost has always seemed to have a formula for winning!

Comment by illini Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 1:17 pm
===Pelosi must not poll well.===

I’d be surprised if that statement was as well calculated as having polling data behind it. It’s probably just some good ol’ Southern* Illinois Democrat shootin’ from the hip.

*Spokesperson is probably from Chicago.

Comment by Anon Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 1:43 pm
How does CJ expect to receive funding and support if his campaign manager - who is kinda dumb - is going to shoot off at pelosi right after being bumped up? Barzin is such a terrible manager, he’s lost everything he’s ever worked on, except his weight.

Comment by mizzoumatt Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 2:51 pm
Nothing he said it’s wrong. There is a difference between southern Illinois Democrats and pelosi Democrats.

Comment by Truth Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 3:41 pm
I don’t live in the district but am following the race. And I don’t know Barzin Emami but @Truth is right - there are differences between many Southern Illinois Dems and the National Dems on certain issues.

Comment by illini Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 4:58 pm
Illini,
I remember one of Shimkus’ opponents being asked who they will support for speaker. They enthusiastically replied, “Pelosi! Pelosi! Pelosi!”

The ind. voters went running in horror.

Comment by Downstate Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 4:59 pm
@Downstate - I have never heard this before, don’t know who it was, but can assure you that it was not any of those that I know.

Please be specific and refresh my memory or is this just another report from Madeupville?

Comment by illini Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 5:37 pm
“The Ind. voters went running in horror”?

Shimkus hasn’t had a competitive election in years.

https://ballotpedia.org/John_Shimkus

Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 5:50 pm
@PrecinctCaptain - exactly correct, thanks to the ILLDEMS giving him a “safe” district even after two redistricting attempts. And none of the challengers ever received any support from the DCCC.

I also fault the local Dems for giving Angela Michael a pass to masquerade as a Dem in two campaigns. Political incompetence, in my opinion.

And Shimkus was going to limit himself to 4 terms and he was going to return to Collinsville and teach History!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by illini Thursday, Sep 15, 16 @ 5:59 pm