5th CD - Who's In?

by: Sandra_Verthein

Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 22:12:30 PM CST


Per my own digging on the FEC website, here are the candidates who have created federal committees for the upcoming 5th CD special election:

- Cary Capparelli
- Peter Dagher
- State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz
- Victor Forys
- Ray Lear
- State Rep. Elect Deborah Mell
- Justin Oberman
- Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley
- Matthew Reichal (incorrectly listed as Reichal Matthew)
- Joey Vartanian
- Israel Vasquez
- Charles Wheelan

People who are reported to be running or considering running who have not formed federal committees are Jan Donatelli, Nancy Kaszak (has an inactive committee from her previous run), State Rep. John Fritchey, Alderman Marge Laurino, Alderman Pat O'Connor, Alderman Gene Schulter. (And if there is someone who needs to be added to this list please post it in the comments.)

Who are these people and what does this mean?
Sandra_Verthein :: 5th CD - Who's In?
In a way this whole thing could shake out very much like the 2002 primary when Rahm first became a congressman.  In that race Rahm won with 50.5% of the vote, progressive Nancy Kaszak got 38.6%, and six other Democratic candidates split the remaining 10.9%. Amusingly enough two of the candidates from the bottom of the 2002 heap are on the list above: Peter Dagher and Ray Lear.

In other words there will probably be a "top tier" of candidates who will split the majority of the vote and a "bottom tier" that will split the remaining bit.  

The top tier seems to be:

- Sara Feigenholtz
- Mike Quigley
- Rahm/Daley/Machine Candidate Yet To Be Named

Sara and Mike are both current elected officials which means they have campaign experience, some name recognition, a ready-made base, and a certain amount of instant legitimacy. Plus both of them are actively campaigning -- raising money, hiring staff, etc.  And -- bonus -- both are progressive.  The other electeds on the list would probably become top-tier candidates if they fully jumped into the race, but as evidenced by the Sun-Times story referened by data many of them are hanging back waiting to see who will become the Rahm/Daley/Machine candidate.  Whoever gets that nod will automatically become a top tier candidate and possibly the candidate to beat.

I say "possibly" because there is one big problem for the machine.  Sara and Mike are both tough candidates and a machine hack is going to have a tough time coming out on top, even if they end up "splitting the progressive vote", but anyone more than a machine hack will not want to give up the seat when Rahm decides he is tired of playing White House.  So what are Rahm/Daley going to do?  They could decide to basically sit it out, in which case the various factions in the machine could end up supporting different candidates, greatly weakening their influence.  This is the best-case scenario for progressives.

What about the non-electeds?  Well, if one of them is able to quickly raise (or self-fund) a big campaign war-chest and finds some really good hook for their campaign they could be elevated to top-tier status.  Or if someone is able to build a large grassroots small-dollar movement then ditto. The problem with the later scenario is the short time-frame.  We saw Daniel Biss create a really amazing grass-roots, small-dollar base for his campaign but a) he had over a year to do it and b) he was running for state rep, not congress. Christine Cegelis was able to do it but a) she had over a year and b) she built her base AS the Dem nominee, not in a fight against established politicians to BECOME the Dem nominee. Not that it can't be done, but it would take a pretty amazing person to pull it off. If that amazing person is out there please let us know who they are and why in the comments.

So, all that being said, here is a little bit about the candidates who have actually created federal campaign committees for this seat.  

Cary Capparelli - businessman, race car driver, and son of Ralph Capparelli, a 17-term legislator in the Illinois House.

Peter Dagher - spent 10 years working for President Bill Clinton, ran for the 5th CD seat in 2002 and got 4.5% of the vote.

Sara Feigenholtz - serves Illinois' 12th State Representative District including Buena Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Near North.

Victor Forys - former resident physician at Ravenswood Hospital who currently has a private practice in the 5th CD and is a regular commentator on health care issues in the Polish media

Ray Lear - ran for seat in 2002 and got 1% of the vote.

State Rep. Elect Deborah Mell - I have heard she is no longer running but have no confirmation of this.  Considering her current family situation it seems likely (she is Blago's sister-in-law).

Justin Oberman - served as senior executive of the Transportation Security Administraion (TSA) and is the son of progressive former Alderman Marty Oberman.

Mike Quigley - serves Cook County's 10th District which includes the Near North Side, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park, West Ridge, Lincoln Square, North Park, and Forest Glen communities.

Matthew Reichal (incorrectly listed by the FEC as Reichal Matthew) - an organizer in the peace an human rights community with a master's degree in International Relations and Diplomacy.  Worked for the Kucinich for President campaign as well as the congressman's re-election campaign.

Joey Vartanian - small businessman who serves on several community boards in the 5th CD and currently runs D3 Events, Crobar and Maxbar.

Israel Vasquez - CEO of Wham Inc, a private investment and management company, currently managing an "art foundation."

Charlie Wheelan - MPA from Princeton and PhD in pulic policy from the U of C, currently a faculty member at U of C, author of "Naked Economics", NPR commentator and public speaker.

And yes, I know I just posted a comment bemoaning the fact that all we were talking about are bios and personalities, and here I am talking about that.  But right now that is really all the information we have on most of these people.  One thing that I think the progressive community can do is to get these candidates to articulate meaningful issue postions, to debate those positions, and to make sure that debate is part of the electorate's decision making process.
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5th CD - Who's In? | 39 comments
Please note (4.00 / 2)
that many of my one-line descriptions are pulled from the candidate's own web sites or other material generated by the candidates themselves so take them with a grain of salt.  

Basic stuff: The common wealth should be used for the common good, not to enrich the well-connected few.  
There was a rumor (4.00 / 1)
that the primary for this seat would be February 24, but my "sources" say that it is now basically too late for the election boards to do it that soon.  

Basic stuff: The common wealth should be used for the common good, not to enrich the well-connected few.  
Very useful post Yoda (0.00 / 0)
Thanks for providing this info.

Howard Dean in 2016
Ditto. n/t (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
make candidates accountable (0.00 / 0)
1. We should write a candidate questionnaire and post responses online.
2. Also, let's set aside some time for live-blogging interviews.
What would you ask in candidate questionnaire? (0.00 / 0)
Be generous and creative with your ideas for what should be asked with the realization that the final questionnaire has to be manageable.
[ Parent ]
what is your vision? (0.00 / 0)
In the big picture, what do you hope to accomplish by going to Congress? How do you intend to leave your mark?
[ Parent ]
what will you accomplish in your first term? (0.00 / 0)
Name something specific you will do in your first term.
[ Parent ]
What was the worst thing done to the Constitution (0.00 / 0)
during the Bush years? How should the insult be undone?

Should Congress weaken the executive branch? How?

[ Parent ]
is there an issue you will champion (0.00 / 0)
that doesn't currently have a champion in the U.S. House of Representatives?
[ Parent ]
describe your ideal health care system (0.00 / 0)
And what's the best health care system you think we can get out of the current Congress?

Do you see health care reform as happening in one big package with follow-up tinkering or do you see reform as being accomplished in a series of waves?

[ Parent ]
making health care personal (0.00 / 0)
1. Who are your closest relatives who are uninsured?
2. What's the worst experience a family member has had with the larger medical industry?
[ Parent ]
when did you figure invading Iraq was wrong? (0.00 / 0)
What was your reasoning?

What did you do to oppose the invasion?

[ Parent ]
besides health care and the economy (0.00 / 0)
What is the greatest threat to U.S. national security?

How should the federal government be changed to better address this threat?

[ Parent ]
In a post-Dean, post-Obama world (0.00 / 0)
How should the Democratic Party use the Internet and other technologies to better involve and organize individuals? What should the goals of the people powered movement be? How should the people power be used to accomplish these goals? How should the Democratic Party change to better integrate activists?
[ Parent ]
Check out IVI's questionnaire and help us update... (0.00 / 0)
[ Parent ]
There's an updated 2008 primary questionnaire... (0.00 / 0)
( unfortunately doesn't seem to be online) and the Political Action committee is working to update that.  All are welcome.  Call the office for the next meeting info.

312-939-5105

[ Parent ]
just post it on PSB (0.00 / 0)
Is there anything that keeps you from posting the 2008 questionnaire on Prairie State Blue?
[ Parent ]
So Rahm is for Cuba normalization and implies (4.00 / 1)
that he would be for single payer if he thought it could get passed. At least he was in 2004.

I think it definitely behooves us to work with IVI as much as makes sense. Clearly there's a lot of practical knowledge embedded within the organization plus why reinvent a wheel that's already invented.

And I agree with Carl that the best approach might be a coordinated one where we can complement each other. Synergy and all that.


Jeff Wegerson

[ Parent ]
Synergy is good! n/t (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
So where in the process is IVI-IPO now? (0.00 / 0)
Are you drawing up a set of questions in preparation for the new election in 5? Are you having strategy sessions about it? Is there a committee set-up to plan strategy and tactics for the election? How often is the committee meeting? Those sorts of things.

Jeff Wegerson
[ Parent ]
Indeed is this diary a product of your process? (0.00 / 0)
Since Yoda is an IVI-IPO member it is reasonable to ask if she has been assigned the task of promoting the process with a diary here? I assume not but damn it would be a feather in your cap from my point of view if it were.

Jeff Wegerson
[ Parent ]
I am not. (0.00 / 0)
The 5th Congressional disrict falls with in IVI-IPO's mid-north chapter, so the officers of that chapter (which includes Suzanne) as well as the state Political Action Chair will be organizing the endorsement session.  

My main focus is our Northside DFA endorsement.  We plan to do a large, public candidate's forum toward the end of January and will likely do our endorsement vote at our Febuary meeting.  I had some concerns that this would be too late, but as it continues to drag on I think that this will end up being good timing.  

Basic stuff: The common wealth should be used for the common good, not to enrich the well-connected few.  

[ Parent ]
Thanks (0.00 / 0)
I figured not. But even if the IVI-IPOers that are participating in this discussion are pretty regular PSBers as well, still it brings a lot of legitimacy to the discussions.

Jeff Wegerson
[ Parent ]
The IVI endorsement... (2.50 / 2)
...will go to whoever buys it.  And rest assured, someone is probably adding some new members to IVI's membership solely for that purpose.  

I gave up on IVI's legitimacy in endorsements years ago, after watching endorsement sessions that turned into meetings of Peg Roth's 43rd Ward Democratic Machine.

[ Parent ]
I think I understand your meaning when you say "buy." (0.00 / 0)
It seems that you mean like paying people to join IVI in order to vote. Are you also implying that "donations" are being given to IVI to influence the process? I assume not, but I ask to be clear.

You seem to refer to flaws in the structure of IVI's endorsement process. Are you sufficiently well versed to be able to critique them in detail and offer practical change solutions?

Your criticism is one I've heard from others.  

Jeff Wegerson

[ Parent ]
the theory of fixing IVI-IPO is simple (0.00 / 0)
IVI-IPO needs to have a membership outreach program other than having political candidates recruit their supporters to join IVI-IPO.

In theory, having politicians whose values are aligned with IVI-IPO recruit their supporters isn't a bad thing if it's one of many ways the organization recruits members.

But as far as I can tell, there's no systematic membership outreach campaign to balance the politicians having their supporters join.

So, when it comes to a numbers game, as it does during endorsements, the system is completely skewed toward the regular Democratic Party.

And seeing candidates ideologically aligned with IVI-IPO getting gunned down in favor of Democrats who were not particularly close to IVI-IPO, I came to the conclusion the process lacked credibility.

IVI-IPO is so controlled by the Dem Party it couldn't bring itself to endorse Barack Obama over Dan Hynes.

The other frustrating thing about IVI-IPO is that its members see the problem and never get the gumption to do anything about it. IVI-IPO's leadership is dominated by good people whose best days as activists are decades in the past.

[ Parent ]
There's Plenty of Gumption, Carl (4.00 / 1)
...but critical mass is necessary, whether one is intent on reinvigorating the organization and its processes or aiming to "buy" an endorsement.

That's why, when people tell me "I'm not going to join the IVI-IPO until x, y or z," my response is simple: If you don't like it, join. Do the work, make it happen. Unlike the Democratic party, IVI-IPO is a remarkably permeable organization.

And Randall, dear, every organization with any history has stumbled. Instead of revisiting wrongs, bring your encyclopedic knowledge of politics and come work with us; you can make IVI-IPO better.  

As for the questionnaire, I'm working on updates this weekend. Contact me if you have suggestions / additions or call Rich Whitehead at the IVI-IPO office.  

[ Parent ]
does IVI-IPO have a plan (0.00 / 0)
to recruit a large number of members so that it is more resilient when the Democratic Party tries to influence the endorsement process?

If there's no plan....

I'm looking at the officer list--and they're mostly good people--but some of them have been officers in the organization for decades.

If the organization isn't making a plan to recruit new members and it's keeping the same officers that have been officers for decades, why would an activist waste his/her time banging her/his head against the wall?

What is the evidence IVI-IPO wants to change? The "join and make it better" speech is the same speech from 10 years ago, 20 years ago, etc. I did join. And I know other people who have joined. And there's little evidence IVI-IPO wants to change and become more effective.

[ Parent ]
I've already written a number (0.00 / 0)
of questions in this discussion.

In general, I would ask more open questions (instead of closed questions).

I think open questions can serve as a better starting point for discussion.

And with blogs and the Internet the discussion with the candidate can be more interactive.

I do admire IVI-IPO for getting Rahm to answer such a long candidate questionnaire. Most campaigns wouldn't respond to such a long questionnaire.

But Rahm's answers give the impression he's a flaming liberal. And I expect few of us would characterize Rahm as a flaming liberal.

So the questionnaire somehow missed fleshing out what kinda rep he'd be even though it got him to answer an impressive number of questions.

BTW, at one point IVI-IPO was keeping answers to candidate questionnaires confidential. Am I correct in inferring that practice is no more and the questionnaires are public? Or does the candidate get to choose if his/her questionnaire will be released to the public?

[ Parent ]
if you want people to participate (0.00 / 0)
in writing the IVI-IPO questionnaire, why not just post a draft version online and ask people to participate?

Seriously. Are you and Rich afraid of losing control of the process?

Or had it never occurred to you to do much of the work online?

[ Parent ]
I try to avoid calling you out Randall, when you post... (0.00 / 0)
negative things about IVI, but when people who live in glass houses don't take the hint:

Randall, when the organization that you run (and appear to be a significant percentage of the membership, if not 100%) makes it's endorsements; do you take in to account the fact that you are employed by Cook County Govt., and how much your employer might want certain people to be endorsed, and how broadly do you broadcast that conflict of interest information when you make your endorsements public, or is an endorsement from your 'organization' 'pure as the driven snow'?

I don't want to start a flame war, but, those of us who have TRIED to rebuild and improve IVI-IPO over the years, to make sure that 'the machine' doesn't have a heavy influence, that the organization be able to afford a lobbyist in Springfield again (in process), etc.,  get disheartened when people take potshots @ those who are trying to make something better, more so when those people could help, than when those people are 'competitors', looking to trash the competition.

If you want to help, join up and show up.  If we can't out organize in an organization by us and FOR us, then how are we going to beat the machine in the bigger world?

BTW, I helped Michele Smith in her run for committeeman.  I hope that ameliorates for whatever Peg Roth sin Randall thinks IVI committed back in the day.  

[ Parent ]
You never know until you see the map (0.00 / 0)
Comments here had left me with the impression this was a City, indeed a Lakefront, district. Looking at the map I see it extends well out into the suburbs, with parts lying immediately adjacent to Oak Park.

Bill Thomasson

Permission to reprint explicitly granted
It is another piece of the puzzle (0.00 / 0)
While I have not looked at the voter files my guess is that the significant part of the Democratic base is in the city and that is where the focus will be for voter turn-out.
 There might be significant opportunity for a non-machine Democrat in the outlying suburbs but it will take organization to get that vote out for a cold primary.
[ Parent ]
Although it looks like (0.00 / 0)
Emanuel, for whatever reason, is delaying his resignation until it will be too late to hold the primary in conjunction with the Chicago city primary (most suburbs don't have primaries because candidates don't run under traditional party names). That should help the relative proportion of suburban vote.

And you might note that most of these suburbs have a Democratic state senator, even though their representative in the House is Republican. There are plenty of Democratic votes to be had, especially if people see little reason to take a Republican ballot.

Bill Thomasson

Permission to reprint explicitly granted

[ Parent ]
Calculations I am sure (0.00 / 0)
The heat is on Emanuel right now and he has to lay low.  I suspect he will resign before the next Congress is sworn in on January 6th.

  If not he will have to resign, I would think by the 20th.

 The question is can he lay low enough to get behind someone that will be a place holder and not have the press and/or the opponents pick up on that in such a short period of time?

 I keep hoping to hear the transcripts of those tapes because I am sure he spoke more about the 5th district than about the Senate.

I have heard rumors that Ald O'Conner was not the only person Rahm mentioned.  It would be good to know ahead of time who is willing to cut the deal for a Congressional seat for 2 to 4 years.

[ Parent ]
Surprised (0.00 / 0)
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned what seems to be common political knowledge in this race. From everything I am hearing, it's Fritchey's to lose.

________________________
Revenge of the Second City
GAPERS****BLOCK
Really? I think things have changed (0.00 / 0)
Rep. Fritchey, Feigenholtz and Quigley all have name recognition in the city but go west and no one knows who they are, putting them all on equal footing. And while Rep. Fritchey has a funding advantage over Feigenholtz and Quigley, oddly enough I don't think this is going to be a money-defined race.

The political landscape changed for most everyone on 12/9, including Rep. Fritchey. I don't think any of us are sure about how this will pan out but one thing seems clear: it's a shining moment for Rep. Fritchey, who's not only on the impeachment committee but who is one of only a small group of legislators who rightly criticized and called out this Governor when others turned a blind eye.

To my mind, this primes Rep. Fritchey for statewide office a heck of a lot more than it does a Congressional seat.

[ Parent ]
Quigley (0.00 / 0)
Don't forget that Quigley is a county representative and he and Claypool have definitely been seen as the independent Democrats in the county.  Having lived in Northlake when back in the dark ages (about 20 years ago), the near suburbs have a decidedly anti-Chicago machine democratic bent.  I think he can do very well in the suburban parts of the district.
[ Parent ]
5th CD - Who's In? | 39 comments
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