ShareIllinois Tea Party backs Manzullo in GOP primary
Sophia TareenThe Illinois Tea Party has endorsed longtime U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo over a first-term congressman once backed by Sarah Palin, marking a surprise announcement in the Republican primary race unfolding in a redrawn congressional district in north-central Illinois.
The group cited the voting record of Manzullo, a nine-term congressman, in its choice over U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a former Air Force pilot who won his seat in 2010 with strong tea party backing and a nod from the former Alaska governor. Illinois' new congressional map is forcing some Republican incumbents, including Manzullo and Kinzinger, to run against each other.
"Congressman Manzullo has an excellent voting record of focusing on fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets; not only in this Congress, but as a long standing representative in the House," according to a statement for the group.
The state's March 20 primary is the first time the Illinois Tea Party is making endorsements as a statewide entity, group spokeswoman Denise Cattoni said Monday. Generally, the movement's smaller groups _ often on county or regional levels _ operate independently.
Cattoni said the redrawn boundaries for Illinois' congressional districts _ which also preserve existing Democratic-leaning districts and create new ones _ made it a tough call. For instance, she said her group's members may not have made primary election endorsements if U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, a tea party candidate known nationally for his verbal attacks on President Barack Obama, had decided to challenge another first-term Republican, U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren. Walsh instead chose to run in a neighboring district.
"It was a very difficult decision," Cattoni said.
Kinzinger and Manzullo are facing off in a newly-drawn 16th District, which includes large portions of Manzullo's old district. The new 16th hugs some of Chicago's outermost suburbs and stretches through north-central portions of the state.
Kinzinger decided to run in the 16th over another redrawn district that stretches south of Chicago, and includes parts of his old district, but is now more Democrat-friendly.
A Kinzinger campaign spokeswoman, Brook Hougesen, declined to talk directly about the endorsement, which was announced late Sunday.
"Congressman Kinzinger will continue gathering support from people who oppose bailouts, earmarks and Obama spending projects. We need a break from the past rather than Congressman Manzullo and groups who supports those failed policies," she said in a statement.
Congressional boundaries are redrawn every decade based on census data. Democratic lawmakers, because they hold majorities in the Illinois Legislature, lead the effort this year.
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Sophia Tareen can be reached at http://twitter.com/sophiatareen