There weren't a lot of competitive downstate primaries but there were two upsets in races I've posted about here before. Here's a quick summary for those who haven't made it over to my blog.
Jehan Gordon defeated Allen Mayer in the Democratic primary for the 92nd Illinois State House seat based in Peoria. There's currently no Republican candidate, which means Republican Congressional candidate Aaron Schock could have his state legislative seat filled by a young, black Democratic woman. More at the Peoria Journal Star and my blog.
Perhaps the biggest upset of the night was Daniel Davis winning the the Democratic primary against Joe McMenamin to take on John Shimkus in the 19th Congressional district. How Davis won is something of a mystery. He had no major endorsements, reported raising very little money, avoided taking a stand on most issues, and his campaign website is oddly preoccupied with giants. I can't say I have much hope of defeating Shimkus this year.
More at the Journal Register and my blog.
Republicans named Congressman John Shimkus as the ranking member on the oversight and investigations subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. No, this isn't a joke.
Let's review a few facts that explain how completely ridiculous this is. First, Shimkus uses his position on the Energy & Commerce Committee to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from polluters.
There's no group more powerful in the Democratic Party than organized labor so its hard to overstate the importance of Joe McMenamin's endorsement by the Illinois AFL-CIO. Schoenburg calls it a "boost" for McMenamin in his column today.
That's in addition to endorsements by the Democratic party organizations in the two largest counties in the district (Madison and Sangamon) along with several others. Leaders across the district know that McMenamin is our best shot at defeating John Shimkus in November!
Democrats in the Illinois 19th Congressional district think Republican incumbent John Shimkus is more vulnerable than ever this year which is why three candidates are running in the Democratic primary. Shimkus' involvement in the Foley page scandal cover-up, the violation of his term limit pledge, his offensive statements about Iraq, and the likelihood that 2008 will be a good year to unseat a Bush rubber-stamp gives new hope to local residents who are tired of John Shimkus. So far only one candidate, Joe McMenamin, shows signs of being a serious threat to Shimkus.
One indication of his strength as a candidate is the support he's receiving from Senator Dick Durbin. Durbin states in a letter on McMenamin's campaign website:
I first met Joe McMenamin a few weeks ago after the showing of a documentary movie in Springfield. He spoke during the group discussion period about why he felt Bush leading us into Iraq was misguided. He mentioned speaking in front of the Springfield city council in favor of a resolution opposing the war even before it began.
He also said he believes America has been hijacked by extremist ideologues who are taking us down the wrong path. Its immediately obvious when you hear McMenamin that he speaks with passion and the courage of conviction.
When he told everyone that he's running as a Democrat for Congress in the 19th district of Illinois against John Shimkus the room burst into wildly enthusiastic applause.
