Duckworth Considering IL-06 Bid

It will be hard... (0.00 / 0)

I think it will be very tough for her to convince IL-06 voters that she is a better option that Peter Roskam. He hasn't given  the average voter out here many reasons to vote against him, aside from the war. He even threw a couple of bipartisan bones out there like voting to lower student loan rates.

The fact is that people know Peter Roskam out here. He's a fixture in the community and has been for a long time. Tammy Duckworth is not.

I don't know that it would be such a great idea for her to run again if she wants to have a political career, but who else would run? I suppose she might as well just go for it.

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by: bridgetdooley @ Mon May 28, 2007 at 16:53:09 PM CDT

Will she do it? (0.00 / 0)

Is Duckworth considering moving her residency into the 6th district too? Someone from outside the Chicago Machine circle please consider running against Duckworth in the primary.

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by: gregm @ Mon May 28, 2007 at 17:59:16 PM CDT

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Agreed (0.00 / 0)

I think Duckworth shot her IL-06 wad in 2006. Running twice to win once makes sense if you're trying to unseat an incumbent. But if the first race is for an open seat, especially a high-profile open seat, it's going to be hard to generate enthusiasm for a rematch. And as you say, Roskam hasn't done much to irritate people who aren't predisposed to oppose him anywy.

Although it's not obvious that there is a better candidate on the horizon.

And on the residency issue that people keep bringing up: My personal take reflects the fact that my house was redistricted from the 6th to the 7th CD a quarter century ago. Yet I've still been doing political work in teh 6th. That renders it hard for me to make a big deal of the fact that her house doesn't quite lie within the district's current boundaries either.

Bill Thomasson

Permission to reprint explicitly granted

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by: wathomasson @ Tue May 29, 2007 at 14:52:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

She didn't even... (0.00 / 0)

...have to courtesy to show up for an Addison Township Democratic party meeting even though I understand the date was changed to meet her schedule.

I don't think the things that made her a poor candidate in 06 have changed, especially is she does not move into the district.  She may ride in, in 08, if there is a large Democratic wave, but the way the Democrats in congress are acting I don't know if that wave is forthcoming.

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by: delver rootnose @ Mon May 28, 2007 at 20:02:37 PM CDT

Residency and "better" Democrats (0.00 / 0)

This keeps coming up, so I'd like to just mention that she's probably not going to move into the district, and does have a good reason not to. Her house has been mondified for her, and it is just outside the district. This is a non issue, honestly, and one that we should leave to Roskam to pick on.

For me it is not where she lives (based on the above), but where she has lived (not in the area, let alone the district) and especially how she will vote. We need Democrats who will stand up for Democratic core values, not triangulate, play the middle, or be "tough" GOP-lite hawks. 2006 showed that you can be a proud Democrat and win in red districts.

In a cycle that may be again dominated by Bush's war of choice, we need Democrats who will call out Peter Roskam on his lockstep support for "stay the course" right over the cliff that this war has been. We need Democratic candidates that will contrast clearly with the Roskams of the GOP, not offer to do it better than Republicans.

I don't want "better" corruption. I don't want "better" tax breaks for the wealthy or corporations. I don't want "better" wars. I want different, not "better."

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by: michael in chicago @ Mon May 28, 2007 at 20:13:57 PM CDT

I agree with what you say Mike.. (0.00 / 0)

But in a district as tight as IL-06 any ammo a candidate gives to the other side is inexcusable and her residency, and as you point out her lack of roots in the area, are an effective tool the Republicans can use against her.  If she is really serious about winning the district she needs to eliminate such an easy point against herself.

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by: delver rootnose @ Mon May 28, 2007 at 20:32:36 PM CDT

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I agree (0.00 / 0)

I think a good case can be made that her failure to move into the district cost her the race, as Roskam was able to make a big deal of it.  It showed a lack of committment to the district then.

If she really does want the job of representing the district, as opposed to scoring points with the Democratic Party, she needs to show the committment by moving across th district lines.

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by: curmudgeon @ Tue May 29, 2007 at 08:53:58 AM CDT

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Problem with this speculation (0.00 / 0)

The problem is that signatures will need to be gathered late August because the primary is being moved.  There are at least two people that are considering a run but will not bother if Duckworth enters.  Her indecision is causing them not to get started.  Any candidate starting from scratch can ill afford a late start.  They need to be building a team now.  If she is going to run she should announce soon and perhaps the others can be encouraged to run for a state seat.

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by: spotcat @ Wed May 30, 2007 at 10:44:57 AM CDT

Considering... (4.00 / 1)

how and when she came into the race last time do you really think consideration for other possible canidates comes to her mind at all.

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by: delver rootnose @ Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:58:24 AM CDT

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August? (0.00 / 0)

In 2006, Duckworth's signatures were gathered in December. Moving the primary up a month makes that November.

But your point about building a team is well taken. As I've said in another thread, I think

Bill Thomasson

Permission to reprint explicitly granted

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by: wathomasson @ Thu May 31, 2007 at 16:50:05 PM CDT

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Arrgh!! (0.00 / 0)

Hit "Post" when I didn't mean to.

 The rest was that I think it was this idea that everything could be done at the last moment that killed Duckworth last time. We do need to see candidates announcing now, not later.

Bill Thomasson

Permission to reprint explicitly granted

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by: wathomasson @ Thu May 31, 2007 at 16:53:02 PM CDT

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