THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2008
Michelle Obama To Attend Dan Seals Fundraiser
Democrat Dan Seals is pulling out a very big gun---an Obama---in his battle to build a competitive campaign warchest against 10th District incumbent U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk.
The Seals campaign announced Friday (June 20) that Michelle Obama will be in the district for a Seals fundraiser on Monday, June 30.
In its Friday, June 2 edition, Time Magazine placed the 10th District race third on its list of national House and Senate races to watch. The 10th District serves northern Des Plaines, Mt. Prospect, Arlington Hts. and Glenview, as well as several North Shore communities extending into Lake County.
Democrats think Kirk is vulnerable. The race has been called a toss up by both Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill and the influential Cook Report.
In 2006, the then unknown Seals ran against Kirk and lost by only a few percentage points.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has taken an active interest in the race paying for radio ads slamming Kirk and bringing in big name Democrats to appear at fundraisers.
DCCC Midwest Press Secretary Ryan Rudominer told the Journal that the Seals-Kirk race is a "top priority."
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) came to a Seals fundraiser in the district several months ago, National Hillary Clinton Campaign Co-Chairwoman U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman (D-FL) stumped for Seals at a fundraiser earlier this month and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) will stump for campaign dollars in the district on Seals' behalf on Saturday, June 28.
Seals chief spokeswoman Elizabeth Smith said Seals raised the most money of any self-funded candidate nationally.
She said only two others raised more and those were through contributions the candidates themselves made to their own campaigns.
Seals campaign officials were skittish about releasing financial information before the mandatory reporting period.
In the first quarter Seals had a total campaign war chest of $1.4 million.
Seals still needs to play catch up in the fundraising department as Kirk's warchest at the end of the first quarter was close to $3 million.
Rudominer said Seals was one of the first candidates to be brought into the DCCC "Red to Blue Program" just after the completion of the primary season.
He said the 10th District is one of only a few that elected a Republican to Congress while Democrat John Kerry ran in the last Presidential election.
He said the popularity of native Illinois son Barack Obama would be very helpful in Seals run.
"Winds are at the Democrats' backs, politically," said Rudominer.
Rudominer said a recent slip on local radio show by Kirk calling Obama "Osama" is a sure sign of desperation.