I didn't know much about DK Hirner when I went to a neighborhood meet up; the event was held in the home of a colleague from my university.
I was blown away with what I saw; she is the real deal.
Of course, this fight is an uphill one as her opponent, Aaron Schock, has national name recognition.
More below the fold.
Cross posted at Prairie State Blue and on my personal blog
I admit that I didn't know much about DK Hirner when I showed up for a small "get to know" the candidate get together at a neighbor's house.
The background: she is running against Aaron Schock for the US Congressional seat in Illinois (IL-18)
It is heavily Republican; President Bush won it 57-41 in 2004 and Senator McCain barely won it 49-48 in 2008 (Obama carried Peoria County and the city of Peoria handily)
Also, the opponent is a Mr. Aaron Schock, who does have national name recognition; we will get to him later.
Who is Ms. Horner?
I can say that when I talked with her, she was personable and knowledgeable about the issues; she backs the basic Democratic plans. By no means would she be a bluedog; her stated priorities are jobs, small businesses, mortgages, healthcare and education.
So what are her qualifications?
Though her resume is too long to list (read it here; scroll down the page), I'll list some highlights:
Education: JD from St. Louis U in 2009(is a member of the Illinois Bar)
Ph. D. from Texas Tech in 1985 (Land Use, Planning and Design)
M. S., B. S. University of Missouri (Columbia) Recreation and Park Administration
Jobs
Executive Director, 2005 - 2009
Illinois Environmental Regulatory Group, Springfield, IL
Deputy Chief of Staff, 2002
Office of Governor Bob Holden, (Democrat) Jefferson City, MO
Executive Director, 1999 - 2002
Illinois Environmental Regulatory Group, Springfield, IL
Executive Director, 1993 – 1999
Conservation Federation of Missouri, Jefferson City, MO
Policy Director, 1993
Office of Governor Mel Carnahan, (Democrat) Jefferson City, MO
Chief of Staff, 1991 – 1992
Office of Governor Mel Carnahan, Jefferson City, MO
State Energy Planner, 1990 – 1991
Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO
Program Director, Outdoor Recreation Assistance, 1986 – 1990
Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO
Assistant Professor/State Extension Specialist, 1985 - 1986
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Assistant Professor, 1984 - 1985
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Honors and Awards:
Soil and Water Conservation Society, Show Me Chapter, Professional Conservationist Award 1998
Missouri Ruralist Woman of the Year in Missouri Agriculture 1996
Missouri Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts Achievement Award 1996
Personal: she is married to Chuck Hirner, a retired Captain (US Navy pilot); he is active in her campaign.
Needless to say, she brings experience and brains to the table.
As far as issues, this is her issues page. What struck me is the following:
*
Government Assistance
My father was killed in a car accident when I was a young child. My mother then raised me in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood, saving our government assistance checks so that I could go to college. With her sacrifice and my hard work, I earned my doctorate and a law degree. We pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps, but it was government assistance that helped us to get those boots. I will never forget the importance of helping less fortunate families across America, and that is why I am running for Congress.
She "gets it" in a way that her opponent (and most Republicans) do not.
So what of her opponent?
(he is in the white pants)
This is Mr. Aaron Schock. Yes, he is telegenic and yes, he is very good in speeches; I admitted so right here.
But most of what you need to know about Mr. Schock can be seen here:
He is a big money Republican who advocates for the failed economic policies of President George W. Bush.
This isn't to say that he hasn't tried to take credit for stuff that he voted against:
He also takes extreme, politically motivated criticism views on the terrorism; he also lied:
He also waffled when asked about President Obama's citizenship: (about 45-55 seconds into the video)
Yes, this is an uphill fight; IL-18 has gone Democratic once, roughly 80-90 years ago. But, I am high on the DK Hirner. And remember this: we have a tough US Senate race with Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias against economic right winger Mark Kirk. Helping Dr. Hirner will help Mr. Giannoulias. We also have a big governor's race between Pat Quinn and the extremist ultra-conservative Bill Brady. Walking routes for Dr. Hirner should help Governor Quinn too.