Normally, the IL-18 Congressional district would be a safe seat for the Republicans. It has been in Republican hands since World War I times and they now have "boy wonder" Aaron Schock running.
Schock made news for taking the Illinois 92'nd House seat away from a Democrat (in 2004) in a district that John Kerry won easily.
But Schock has made some blunders and the race now appears to be competitive.
So what happened? The Republicans thought it was a good idea for President Bush to visit Peoria in order to raise money for Mr. Schock.
PEORIA -
Though his approval rating is one of the lowest of all U.S. presidents, George Bush is expected to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for 18th Congressional District candidate Aaron Schock when he appears at a fundraiser in the Peoria area later this month.
Bush, who last was in Peoria in January 2007 to visit Caterpillar Inc., will visit this time for the sole benefit of Schock. He'll be at a $500 per head fundraiser at a yet-to-be determined private residence on July 25, Schock said.
"It's humbling that out of 435 congressional races that (Bush) is willing to take time to help me and that I'm on his radar screen," said Schock, currently a state House representative.
With Illinois U.S. Sen. Barack Obama at the top of the ballot in the November general election, current 18th District seat holder Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, said Republicans - particularly in Illinois - need all the help they can get.
"Aaron and other Republicans need to make sure that voters know they have to go down the ticket and cross over and vote. It's going to take money to persuade people that these folks are on the ballot," LaHood said. "It's no secret that President Bush is very low in the polls, but I believe based on his visit here 18 months ago, central Illinois has a very good feeling about the president."
Local Democrats are simply delighted!
One thing to keep in mind: Schock is telegenic and he does speak well; I attended a debate between him and his State House opponent and he won easily. He is also only 26 years old; he won his first election (school board) when he was only 18.
Nevertheless, Mr. Schock has aligned himself with the Phil Gramm wing of the Republican party and big money just loves him.
Opposing him is Colleen Callahan, who was drafted to run when the initial Democratic candidate dropped out prior to the primary.
She is mostly known for her 30 year career in broadcasting; her specialty was agricultural affairs. That shouldn't be underestimated as IL-18 includes a great deal of rural area:
Callahan has had a long history of public involvement:
It is my sincere hope to serve all the communities of the 18th District in Congress, as much as I have devoted myself to community service in the Peoria area over the years.
This includes serving on the executive boards of many local organizations, including the Peoria YWCA, the Nature Conservancy, Great Rivers Regional Board, Youth for a Cause, Peoria Children’s Home, University of Illinois Alumni Association, and Morton Community Bank.
I have also served as a member of the St. Francis Medical Center Women’s Health Services Public Relations Committee, and am a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners. I also had the privilege of being named the first female President of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB), and I was chairman of the NAFB Ethics Committee.
Her big issues include getting us out of Iraq and attaining universal health care.
Here is the first 8 minutes of her 30 minute acceptance speech:
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