Progressive Democrats of Illinois: Endorsements for the 2006 primary

Jesse Jackson, Jr.
for US Representative, Illinois district #2.

Rep. Jackson is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination in his district. As Congressman, he has taken the lead in opposing the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and in defense of voting rights, including proposing a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote. Rep. Jackson is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a co-sponsor of HR 676, the single-payer bill.

John "Johnny Hap" Haptonstall
for US Representative, Illinois district #5.

Website

This district's incumbent, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, has been an utter disaster. He has supported the Iraq invasion and the so-called Patriot Act. He has reportedly persuaded other representatives to vote in favor of CAFTA. Under his leadership, the DCCC has been working to force out progressive grass-roots candidates, sometimes even looking to Republicans to replace them. With so-called Democrats like this incumbent, we certainly do not need Republicans.

So while one might reasonably take an "anybody but Emanuel" stance, Johnny Hap is far from just anybody. He opposes NAFTA-style trade treaties, having visited El Salvador to acquire a first-hand view of the harm such agreements bring. He supports single-payer health care, reproductive rights, and an end to the occupation of Iraq.

Christine Cegelis
for US Representative, Illinois district #6.

Website

Christine Cegelis ran a grassroots, unapologetically progressive campaign in 2004 against longtime incumbent Henry Hyde, winning an unprecedented 44% of the vote. This time around, with Hyde retiring (evidently at the behest of Republican leaders after Cegelis' near miss), the national and state Democratic establishment has evidently decided to stop ignoring Christine's campaign and start actively hindering it, by recruiting out-of-district candidates to run for the seat.

PDI admires challenger Lindy Scott's outspoken activism against the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the work he's done to persuade faith-based voters away from the Republican party. But with Rahm Emanuel and the DCCC pushing their own candidate who will doubtlessly be a friend to big-money interests, it is imperative that we rally behind the strongest progressive candidate for this seat. While Cegelis and Scott agree on the majority of issues, the former is more definitely progressive in a few areas, such as a woman's right to an abortion. Cegelis has also built up an impressive local organization of volunteers and has raised money from an outstanding number of donors.

Danny K. Davis
for US Representative, Illinois district #7.

Website Vote Smart

Rep. Davis has done outstanding work during his ten years in Congress. He has fought against police brutality and racial profiling, and for the rights of ex-prisoners to return to society free from discrimination. He has opposed CAFTA and the invasion of Iraq and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a co-sponsor of HR 676, the single-payer bill.

No Endorsement
for US Representative, Illinois district #8.

We cannot support incumbent Melissa Bean, who has one of the worst records of any so-called Democrat in Congress. She's already supported the invasion of Iraq, the draconian Bankruptcy Bill, CAFTA, the repeal of the estate tax on millionaires, and (what should have been called) the Terry Schiavo Exploitation Act, just to name some. Independent Bill Scheurer's anti-war, pro-labor, and anti-unfair trade platform makes him the only real progressive in this race, despite his opposition to abortion rights which we disagree with. But Scheurer will run for this seat as an independent, so we are unable to officially endorse him.

Bill Reedy
for US Representative, Illinois district #13.

Website

An ex-minister who broke with the Southern Baptists because he didn't agree with their politics, Bill Reedy is running on a fully progressive platform, including single-payer health care, full LGBT and reproductive rights, and bringing the troops home as soon as possible.