Our latest round-up from the race to replace Rahm Emanuel in the 5th Congressional District:
A couple weeks ago EMILY's List announced its endorsement of Sara Feigenholtz and yesterday president Ellen Malcolm touted Feigenholtz's candidacy on Huffington Post:
Sara's record is dazzling. She's behind laws guaranteeing equal pay, requiring insurance companies to cover contraception, and increasing access to breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment. She led the fight to expand the state's FamilyCare program to cover low-income parents. She increased funding for AIDS treatment and for in-home care for the elderly. She is 100 percent pro-choice and cosponsored legislation codifying reproductive rights in Illinois should Roe v. Wade be overturned. She sponsored the law protecting Illinois citizens from discrimination based on sexual orientation and has consistently supported hate crimes legislation. And Sara has consistently received high ratings from both the AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club. Sara Feigenholtz is a true blue progressive with a record of results.
Speaking of HuffPo, Mike Quigley penned a column on the Chicago site highlighting his record as a Cook County commissioner:
Since 2003, my budget cuts and government restructuring would add up to a minimum of $700 million. This year alone, those cuts would have saved $143 million. Clearly if these were in place, we wouldn't have needed the record tax hike - in fact, we could be on a path toward returning money.
Saving $700 million is not just about doing things like minimizing overtime expenses, capping consultant fees, and saving energy. It's about changing the mindset of government. It's about challenging the status quo. It's about putting taxpayers' needs ahead of government's needs. It's about reinventing government.
Meanwhile, Tom Geoghegan received an endorsement from The Nation:
By day he is a Chicago labor lawyer, representing clients caught in the bear trap of deindustrialization, downsizing and unionbusting. He has represented folks who have lost their pensions or been denied their rightful benefits--even union members taking on corrupt union bureaucracies. As the unionized workforce has dwindled and the possibility of making a living in labor law along with it, Geoghegan has branched out, suing payday lenders for their usurious exploitation of the poor and helping represent the City of Chicago in its suit against gun manufacturers.
The Geoghegan campaign has also released a series of videos featuring the Chicago labor lawyer. Below, he talks about how the $700 billion Wall Street bailout represents a "catastrophic waste":
You can also watch video from Geoghegan's press conference this week announcing the settlement of a major class action suit on behalf of the uninsured against Advocate Health Care. Finally, be sure to read Kathy G.'s blog post, "How Tom Geoghegan Saved My Dog."
Finally, John Fritchey announced on NBC 5 yesterday that he has signed on as a co-sponsor to Rep. Harry Osterman's campaign finance reform bill. Read more about that measure in our latest feature article.
Come to the 5th Congressional District Democratic candidate forum on Sunday, February 1
Comments
BSPII (not verified) on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 11:35
Unfortunately, EMILY'S List and NOW are only going to help Sara with fundraising, which is nice but won't be enough for a special election on a random Tuesday. She doesn't have the establishment support (ie: ward bosses and precinct captains) to actually GOTV on election day. Plus, she's not going to play well in the western part of the district.
Josh, did you see the new Burris poll on Kos?
Josh Kalven on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 12:17
I hear she's working hard in the Western side. Apparently, she grew up there and her parents were Polish immigrants, which provides her with a compelling story in those parts. The fact is, considering the short timeline, it's going to be hard for any of these folks to really get the word out in that swath of the district.
We just wrote about the Kos poll here:
http://progressillinois.com/2009/1/30/il-sen-daily-kos-poll
Aviva Patt (not verified) on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 14:27
Feigenholtz's campaign collected 4000 petition signatures in 2 days; that's an incredible effort indicative of a strong ground operation. The money advantage will help with media, which can be critical in a low-profile race or election. She has offices and precinct structures in both the east and west sides of the district, with hundreds of volunteers. This is a very viable campaign.
Fifthdistrictoracle (not verified) on Sat, 01/31/2009 - 19:17
I am amazed at how well Geoghegan -- clearly the smartest, most creative, most progressive, and most decent of the candidates -- is doing. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first, but he has raised quite a bit of money and received a large base of support. The only reason to not support someone like Geoghegan, who has devoted his entire life to fighting for working people, is viability -- and now that doesn't seem to be much of an issue.
MelM on Mon, 02/02/2009 - 11:18
I'm just sick of corrupt politics in Illinois. Let's get someone in there isn't a career politician and that doesn't have a connection to politics.
unipresser (not verified) on Tue, 02/03/2009 - 00:18
Absolutely. I'm sick and tired of the "viability" issue. People should vote for who they think best matches their views, not who's raised the most money... been there, done that. Go with Geoghegan, Donatelli or somebody else new.
Post new comment
Progress Illinois' intention is to foster community and to maintain a comfortable and constructive blogging environment. While we encourage and appreciates different points of view, we do not consider it our duty to give a voice to anybody with an opinion.
Discussion on this site is moderated. All comments submitted will be automatically held for review by the editors before posting. Your comment will not appear on the site until it has been approved.
We will not publish comments that we consider:
Please leave a name or nickname when commenting, as it makes it easier for others to respond directly.