By Jim Tankersley
Three retiring Republicans and one or two "hot seat" GOP incumbents have Democrats dreaming of big pick-ups in the Illinois congressional delegation in next year's election, when the state is shaping up as a pivotal battleground for House control.
The GOP, meanwhile, is working hard to hold its seats -- and party leaders in Washington are trying to boost their prospects in what figures to be their best chance to steal a House seat from Democrats in Illinois: the suburban district currently held by Rep. Melissa Bean.
Republicans in the Illinois congressional delegation hosted a Washington fundraiser this week for Steve Greenberg, a businessman and former hockey player whom many GOP leaders believe -- thanks in part to his (Rep. Bean, campaign photo)
checkbook -- has the best chance of beating Bean. In addition, Greenberg will be one of the first nine Republican candidates this year to benefit from a special House GOP fundraising program dubbed "CHOMP" -- the Challengers Helping Obtain the Majority Program.
"It seems as though a lot of Republicans feel strongly that this is a race that's winnable," Greenberg said in an interview this week.
Bean is a self-styled "pro-business," fiscally conservative Democrat who beat longtime Republican Rep. Phil Crane in 2004 and won re-election by seven points in a three-way race last year. Republicans believe the "reddish" tilt of her district and the fact that Bean didn't win by more in the Democratic wave of 2006 make her vulnerable this time.
Bean has been raising money vigorously, chalking up support of business groups and earning praise from several Republican officeholders in the district.
Greenberg is already honing what promises to be a familiar campaign theme from GOP -- and some Democratic -- challengers to House incumbents this year: that Washington politicians have lost touch with their constituents (whom polls show hold Congress, along with President Bush, in very low regard).
Greenberg says he hears "such an anti-Washington tone when I walk through the district. It stems from one thing: Washington has forgotten who the customer is."
A Bean spokesman responded with a statement: "There will be plenty of time for politics once we have an opponent. Right now Congresswoman Bean is working to address the priorities and representing the moderate mainstream values of her consituents."
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Comments
The republicans should just do what Bush says. Try to scare as many people you can. Tell them what their problems are and then tell them who to blame.
Brilliant!!!!
Posted by: bill r. | September 21, 2007 12:15 PM
The Republic Party in Illinois is dead and buried, thank you George Ryan.
Posted by: John E | September 21, 2007 12:15 PM
Actually the Republican party was dead in IL until Blagoevich came along. The best thing to happen to the IL GOP in years is Emil JOnes/Blagoevich. The most corrupt political organization in the country is the IL/Chicago Democratic party. People outsideof Chicago are seeing what some of us in the city have always known. That is why I have a hard time understanding how anyone who is from IL could want to give Obama the keys to the Whitehouse. So these kind of guys can have free reign over the country. No thank you. Thank God that Obama has little chance and is getting trounced in all of the early primary states. Go Hillary.
Posted by: Vinny | September 21, 2007 12:22 PM
Melissa Bean's voting record (pro-business, anti-union, pro-choice) flies in the face of some of the standard Democratic positions - but plays very well to her Republican-ish District. The fact that more and more of her Republican consitutents are adopting the Democrats' anti-war position will make her more difficult to beat. In a nutshell (1) she pretty fairly reflects her District's values,a nd (2) she's not given her Republican opponents a good target to hit. Ask David McSweeney . . . .
Posted by: Buster | September 21, 2007 12:25 PM
Actually the Republican party was dead in IL until Blagoevich came along. The best thing to happen to the IL GOP in years is Emil JOnes/Blagoevich.
Posted by: Vinny | September 21, 2007 12:22 PM
No, as I said before the Republic Party in Illinois is dead and buried, but I do enjoy watching the Wingnuts get their hopes up.
Posted by: John E | September 21, 2007 12:35 PM
"thanks in part to his checkbook"
I think Bush left that part out when he was saying how well the republican candidates would do if they only continue to scare people.
Posted by: bill r. | September 21, 2007 12:48 PM
Bean isn't much of a Democrat, but you'd probably find more people willing to play footsie with a complete stranger in an O'Hare bathroom than willing to vote for a Republican these days.
Posted by: Tom O | September 21, 2007 1:29 PM
I wonder why the Republicans would put any effort in ousting Bean. She's a Republican through and through. I think she only put the D after her name in order to not have to beat Crane in a primary. Her district voted for a Democrat and I wish she would start listening to those who voted for her.
Posted by: DD | September 21, 2007 2:20 PM
I look forward to campaigning and contributing to Bean's GOP opponent.
And John E., the Illinois GOP is not dead and buried. Your party of losers, hacks, frauds, criminals and incompetents is giving us some life. Someday soon, no matter how much vote fraud the Demoncrats commit in Crooked County, it will be overcome by enough disgusted Illinoisans to give the Republicans some victories.
Posted by: John D | September 21, 2007 2:35 PM
J.D.,
You & Jesse. Jesse & you - keep hope alive!
Posted by: GOP 29% Dead-Ender | September 21, 2007 3:52 PM
Forget Bean. The GOP's main target should be the military hating Durbin.
Posted by: whatnow | September 21, 2007 4:00 PM
"And John E., the Illinois GOP is not dead and buried. Your party of losers, hacks, frauds, criminals and incompetents is giving us some life."
Posted by: John D | September 21, 2007 2:35 PM
Dream on freak(John D)boy.
People come up to me and say "you know, if you stopped smoking, you'd get your sense of smell back." I live in Chicago, I don't want my sense of smell back. Is that urine? (sniffs) I think I smell a dead republican party! Where's that coming fro- look honey, a republican party!" I found him, thank God I quit smoking, I can find dead republican parties in puddles of urine. I love living in Chicago.
Posted by: Bill Hicks ghost | September 21, 2007 4:43 PM