Thursday, March 08, 2012

Kinzinger bags Cantor and Shimkus endorsements

Kinzinger
Illinois' Democratic gerrymanderers forced two Republican congressmen to run against each other in the new 16th district.

Adam Kinzinger and Don Manzullo faceoff in a GOP Primary race later this month. Kinzinger, a House freshman, gained the endorsement of Rep. John Skimkus, a downstate Republican, as well as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

In a press release issued by the Kinzinger campaign, Shimkus and Cantor explain their choice:
Adam Kinzinger is hands down the candidate the conservative cause needs to win the primary for Congress on March 20th and he has our enthusiastic endorsement for a second term in Congress.

The outcome of this primary election will have vital consequences for our ability to fight and win on the monumental policy decisions this country will make in the crucial years ahead. Only with strategic, thoughtful and inspirational Representatives like Adam Kinzinger will we be able to win the day on the direction our country takes and cementing our majority.

Adam Kinzinger is a new breed of conservative. He helped us turn the tide in the House of Representatives and reconnect with our tried and true conservative principles. Only when he and his fellow Republican Freshmen arrived have we been able to change the debate in Washington from how much more are we going to spend—to—how much are we going to cut.

Indeed, THE ONLY budget that Congressman Adam Kinzinger has voted for in his brief 14 months of service in Congress CUT spending below the levels spent the year before. Adam Kinzinger was key in helping us accomplish that unprecedented feat of actually spending fewer dollars, not just cutting back proposed increases in spending.

In addition to his demonstrated legislative ability, Adam Kinzinger is a talented, inspiring and articulate Congressman, able to do battle on the national stage with left-wing Democrats and win the argument. He thoughtfully communicates principled positions on the issues. We cannot win legislative battles if the American people are not behind us. It is up to us to take our message over the heads of the national media straight to the people. Adam Kinzinger is one of our most positively appealing and powerful communicators—we cannot allow him to be silenced.

Both of us have long been noted for our loyalty to our conservative principles. That is demonstrated in our voting records. Adam Kinzinger is one of us. The more we get to know him, the more we are impressed by the depth of his convictions and willingness to act upon his principles. That is why he volunteered to serve in the Armed Forces and why he stepped up to run for Congress. He is passionate about fighting for our country.

It is another vital concern of ours to help develop the next generation of conservative leaders. We both worked hard to help Adam in his campaign to defeat ultra-liberal Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson. Since then we have been enormously impressed with how hard Adam has continued to fight for our shared conservative principles.

Adam Kinzinger’s potential was immediately recognized when he was selected as one of four freshmen to serve on the Transition Team from Nancy Pelosi’s Democrat Majority to the new Republican Majority. It is why Adam earned selection to the Republican Whip Team. It is why he was appointed as a freshman to one of the most powerful committees in Congress—the House Energy and Commerce Committee, responsible for an enormous array of cutting edge issues, including healthcare, energy and the repeal of Obamacare.

As a movement, we need to continue moving forward, not back. We need to prepare for the future, not cling to the past. We need to celebrate the forward thinking members of our team. We will indeed have no future, if we indulge in extinguishing the promising talent that we have in Adam Kinzinger. Few outcomes would make liberals and national Democrats happier than Republicans snuffing out the service of one of our conservative movement’s most promising members.

Adam Kinzinger is a courageous conservative and a valued member of our movement. In 2010, while he was in the midst of his own campaign to defeat a liberal incumbent Democrat, he found himself in a better position financially than Bobby Schilling, who was battling left-winger Congressman Phil Hare in Western Illinois. Adam stepped up and gave $5,000 from his own campaign to help Bobby Schilling pay for a crucial mailing that helped him win that race. Again, before being elected himself, Adam provided invaluable assistance to Republican candidates for State Representative and Senate. That selfless sacrifice is a window into the principled man that is Adam Kinzinger. It is a character trait all too rare in Congress.

At the age of 20, Adam defeated a 12 year incumbent Democrat for the McLean County Board. He has been a huge asset to other Republican candidates. It is no wonder that Adam Kinzinger leads in Republican County Chair endorsements by 10 to 1—they rely on his leadership to advance our cause.

We work on a regular basis with both Adam Kinzinger and his opponent. We join our colleague Congressman Aaron Schock of Illinois in the judgment that Adam Kinzinger is the right choice to keep advancing our conservative movement.

Adam Kinzinger is a rock as we fight Nancy Pelosi in the epic battle to rein in government and out of control spending. He has done a great job and we ought to keep him.

Our endorsement is not perfunctory. Adam Kinzinger is a key member of our team and has our total support in his campaign for a second term in the United States House of Representatives.
Rep. Aaron Schock of Peoria has also endorsed Kinzinger.

Oh, if anyone thinks I'm biased about the Democrats gerrymandering here, consider: Yes, Illinois has one less district because of anemic population growth--heavily Democratic Chicago and Cook County lost residents. Illinois' population growth is occurring in the far-from Chicago suburbs--which are Republican strongholds.

No comments: