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Hastert, who was the longest serving Republican speaker of the House, addressing National Federation of Independent Business.
by Rick Pearson and Jill Zuckman
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is expected to announce Friday he will not seek election to a 12th term from his far west-suburban 14th Congressional District, sources close to the Republican lawmaker said today.
Further, Hastert may not stay in Congress for the remainder of his term that expires in January 2009, sources said. A decision on a potential resignation, which could trigger a special election, would come at a later date, the sources said.
In recent weeks, Hastert, 65, of Plano, has shown signs of favoring investment manager and boutique dairy owner Jim Oberweis as his replacement. Hastert had previously endorsed Oberweis for the U.S. Senate nomination.
Hastert, who was House speaker for eight years and the longest serving Republican speaker, lost that office when Democrats gained control of the House in the 2006 midterm elections.
Oberweis, who has run unsuccessfully for the Republican nominations for the U.S. Senate and governor, has been among the Republicans eyeing a bid for the seat along with state Sen. Chris Lauzen of Aurora and Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns.
Hastert and his team were particularly irked when Lauzen, who previously lost a bid for state comptroller, conducted a poll of the congressional district in the fall of 2005 to measure a potential congressional race if Hastert retired.
Hastert has vastly scaled down his political campaign operation and has been in the process of getting rid of furniture and office space, the sources said. A longtime top deputy, Mike Stokke, also moved his belongings out of Hastert’s office at the beginning of the August.
Hastert, who has been on an Asian trip, was due to return to his Plano home late this evening.
He has scheduled a formal announcement on his political future for Friday at the Kendall County Courthouse.
“If he is leaving, he will have been a tremendous leader for Illinois and for the nation," said state Rep. Tom Cross of Oswego, the GOP leader of the Illinois House. Cross’ political career was mentored by Hastert and he was a student of the former speaker when Hastert taught history at Yorkville High School.
“He would be sorely missed in Congress," Cross said.
Republicans locally and nationally have been preparing for Hastert to leave ever since Democrats gained a majority in the House in last year’s mid-term elections. That forced Hastert to relinquish the speaker’s office that he held for eight years while Republicans controlled the House.
The seat Hastert first won in 1986 is viewed as Republican and he won re-election with 60 percent of the vote in 2006. But Democrats are optimistic about a contest without a well-entrenched incumbent.
John Laesch, whom Hastert defeated last year, has expressed interest in the seat along with two other Democrats, Bill Foster of Geneva and Jotham Stein of St. Charles.
Republicans were already faced with defending a potentially competitive open seat in Illinois after Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria announced last month that he would not seek an eighth term in 2008.
Comments
Good riddance!
Posted by: John E | August 14, 2007 10:03 PM
....meanwhile Hastert's buddy, Veep Shotgun Dick, is having some problens with his neighbors
in Wyoming.
If you look close you can see Johnny D smoking a peace pipe in the background:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVTuTWe75yA
Posted by: John E | August 15, 2007 12:26 AM
Good riddance to a big, fat pile of garbage.
Posted by: snalg | August 15, 2007 8:29 AM
Hastert was a rancid political hack who infested his district for too long. The epitome of corruption and dishonesty.
Posted by: Doug R. | August 15, 2007 10:05 AM
With Fat Denny retiring,that will cut a ton of PORK in Washington.
Fat Denny's district is going DEM!!!!!!
Posted by: Raving Loon | August 15, 2007 10:11 AM
Thank god he's leaving!! It was really difficult to support this man.
Posted by: Dennis Hastert's office chair | August 15, 2007 10:24 AM
So Planet Denny is retiring. Good riddance. Let's hope the voters of the 14th go with a Navy veteran and Illinois State grad, John Laesch.
Posted by: weinerdog43 | August 15, 2007 10:41 AM
Yes, Denny, it's time to go. Time to cash in on those land deals he made!
Posted by: athena | August 15, 2007 12:48 PM
Now, let's take a look at the posts here so far. We have a couple from the Deranged John E. Then we have have comments calling Hastert a big, fat pile of garbage; another Loony Lefter saying he is Hastert's chair (which is impossible because that would mean the Loony Lefter actually had some use in life and a job and we all know there is no practical use in life for the existence of Loony Lefters); and another calling him a planet.
But, yet, the Loony Lefters will bitch and moan about "hate" and we always hear the Loony Lefters complain if someone makes fun of someone, yet talking about Hastert's weight is OK??
.
Posted by: John D | August 15, 2007 2:25 PM
John D.,
How about when Limbaugh compared 13 year old Chelsea Clinton to a dog?
If Denny took exception to that, I missed it.
Posted by: Doug Zook | August 15, 2007 2:44 PM
Doug, you are missing my point. What Limbaugh did or did not say about Chelsea is not the point. I'm speaking of hypocrisy by the folks on the Left. We get comment after comment about the weight of Hastert or the looks of others, we had fatass Al Franken write a book calling Limbaugh a big, fat idiot, when Franken himself is a big, fat idiot.
I've seen countless posts saying all I do is hate, yet lookie here, nothing but hate from the ILK (just for you) you hang out with. Sorry, but nothing I write comes anywhere near as hateful as what your buds write and say on a daily basis. Just pointing it out!
Posted by: John D | August 15, 2007 3:37 PM
Sorry, but nothing I write comes anywhere near as hateful as what your buds write and say on a daily basis.
Posted by: John D | August 15, 2007 3:37 PM
Why do you lie, Johnny D? Is it because you are lonely and want to gain acceptance by inventing fantastic stories?
Posted by: janet | August 15, 2007 4:59 PM
John D.,
The point you continue to miss, is that we loony lefters, defeatocrat, cut and runners, Commissar Zooks are all done backing up.
If you and your ilk were to extend a handshake (not that would happen), when I get my hand back, I'm counting my fingers.
This son of a Vietnam veteran, veteran myself and relative to all sorts of other veterans has been called by you, RNC Bruce, Paulo and others "cowards" and you will never again here the phrase "you've got a point."
You and your ilk picked this fight.
Posted by: Defeatocrat Cut & Runner | August 15, 2007 5:22 PM
I thought this worthless guy was already gone.
Posted by: Rick/Sneads Ferry, NC | August 15, 2007 7:19 PM
Doug, are you now posting as "defeatocrat cut and runner"?
Anyway, whomever you are, please show me where I, bruce or paulo called someone like you a coward, OK?
I and my ilk (again, why do you folks copy my words and phrases all the time, and of course post as me?) picked this fight? Hardly. This "fight" was started by, continued by and advanced by the full-fledged anti-American Loony Left.
Posted by: John D | August 15, 2007 9:24 PM
juannieD
Al Franken is NOT fat! Denny, however, is an idiot, and a hypocrite. Guess we know why he liked coaching wrestling. Took after REPUBLICAN Mark Foley.
Posted by: snitramc | August 15, 2007 11:10 PM
Snitramc, wow, you're such a scumbag. Yes, Dennis HAstert loved to coach wrestling becuase he wanted to eye young, muscular boys! What a blithering moron, you are.
Al Franken, not fat? Nah, he just looks fat. I guess the camera really does add 10, er, 20, er 40, er 60 pounds, huh?
The absolute worst mankind has to offer = The sick,demented beings that make up the Loony Left.
Posted by: John D | August 16, 2007 10:23 AM