Fighting Illinois' gerrymanderers: Schilling plans to run for old House seat

Schilling and author in 2011 in Chicago

In a gerrymandered congressional district created to elect a Democrat, Republican Quad Cities pizzeria owner Bobby Schilling defeated Democratic incumbent Phil Hare in 2010 in Illinois' 17th. Two years earlier, Hare ran unopposed.

So what did Illinois Democrats do next? They gerrymandered new districts and Schilling was defeated in his reelection attempt.

They can't fix the nation's worst-funded-in-the-nation pension system, but Illinois Democrats have seemingly mastered self-perpetuation.

From the Washington Post:

Former congressman Bobby Schilling (R) will attempt to reclaim his Illinois seat in a rematch against Rep. Cheri Bustos (D), who defeated him in 2012.

"Incumbent Congresswoman Bustos has proven during her time in Washington that she doesn't understand or feel the pain of middle class families," Schilling said in a statement. "We need a true representative fighting for us in Washington and incumbent Congresswoman Cheri Bustos has refused to act."

I'm glad that Schilling is undaunted by the Machine.

Technorati tags: Politics illinois Republican gop illinois politics  elections phil hare bobby schilling quad cities Republican

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