By Jim Tankersley
A Western Springs attorney mounting a primary campaign challenge to Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) accomplished a rare feat over the last three months: He outraised the incumbent.
Mark Pera, an assistant state's attorney with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and a former school board president, raised $100,000 for the third quarter of this year. Lipinski raised $76,000.
The second-term incumbent still leads in cash on hand, $321,000 to $180,000.
Pera is running an aggressive campaign to Lipinski’s left, criticizing the congressman’s position on legalized abortion (Lipinski opposes it) and his push for compromise with Republicans over changing course in the Iraq war. Pera wants Congress to immediately set a date for withdrawing troops from Iraq.
Lipinski replaced his father Bill, who has since become a lobbyist, in Congress. He is a former college professor, a cycling enthusiast and staunchly pro-union. This term, he has focused much of his efforts on alternative energy, and he sponsored a bipartisan bill - seen as a middle ground in the war debate - to implement the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group.
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Comments
You can thank the people over at dailykos for this...
Posted by: loserboy | October 15, 2007 5:31 PM
loserboy-
Getting rid of this product of nepotism is something to be thankful for.
He is an embarassement to the Democratic Party for the way he got into office.
Posted by: AJF | October 15, 2007 5:46 PM
The bigger money story here is Lipinski paying daddy's firm for "consulting" and then daddy's youth "charity" collecting contributions not for kids, but to provide kickbacks to Dan Lipinski staffers. No wonder legitimate Democratic contributers aren't giving Lipinsky any money. But then again, it seems the 3rd district seat is about nepotism and not ethics.
Posted by: Nick | October 15, 2007 7:55 PM
AJF
I actually agree with you, I was just stating the fact the Kos had a post about it a few weeks ago...
Posted by: loserboy | October 16, 2007 12:39 AM
Yes, Lipinski is an embarassment. But do we really need another lawyer in Congress?
Posted by: atty555 | October 16, 2007 7:18 AM
Yes, Lipinski is an embarassment. But do we really need another lawyer in Congress?
Posted by: atty555 | October 16, 2007 7:18 AM
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Actually, I think the Repubs have been so corrupt because they have few lawyers in their midst.
Bush, Cheney, DeLay, Hastert, Frist...not a law degree amongst them.
They don't know the law and they have no respect for the law.
Posted by: Ron | October 16, 2007 8:15 AM
Jim Tankersley reported: "he sponsored a bipartisan bill - seen as a middle ground in the war debate"
Seen as "middle ground" by whom?
It's simply a codification of Pres. Bush's orders to Gen. Petraeus. How is reiterating the President "middle ground"?
Posted by: Rob | October 16, 2007 10:05 AM
"Lipinski replaced his father Bill, who has since become a lobbyist, in Congress."
You're being way too nice. The way we remember it, Bill 'retired' after winning his primary in 2004, and the Democratic machine in its infinite wisdom nominated his son to take his place on the ballot.
No one has forgotten this charade here in the 3rd district. This alone is reason enough to remove Lipinski Light, but add to it the fact that he is not reflective of the wishes of his constituents and you have one unchosen representative who should be very afraid of losing his job in February.
Posted by: J. Shoshara | October 16, 2007 11:04 AM