ILSen: Here are 12 reasons why Doug Truax is the best bet for US Senate

Courtesy of the Doug Truax campaign, here are twelve reasons to support the businessman in his run for the US Senate. In the Republican primary, the Downers Grove resident faces political gadfly Jim Oberweis. Lifetime politician Dick Durbin is running for reelection.

1. Fresh face, not part of the problem. Doug has an impressive background and is a photogenic, articulate young conservative who has firm principles but speaks in a welcoming, friendly manner that exudes likability. The public is tired of our political class and is craving leaders like Doug.
2. Top military background. Doug is a West Point and Army Ranger school grad and an Army veteran. He gained admittance to West Point as a youngster without outside clout — only a dream to serve his country at one of the top military schools in America. This background gives Doug immediate credibility in the military and foreign policy arena and the discipline and excellence he learned shapes all his actions.
3. Service to others. Doug has been highly active in Almost Home Kids, a community-based charity serving children who are medically fragile and their families helping them stay together during some of the most trying times of their lives. He is also active in his non-denominational church. His Christian faith compels him to serve others.
4. Family man. Doug knows the importance of a loving family. He has been happily married for 21 years to Nicole and they have three active, bright teenagers. The family loves Downers Grove and the neighborhood and house they have called home the past 12 years.
5. Successful entrepreneur and business owner. Doug used his private sector experience to start a successful Oak Brook-based strategic risk consulting firm that empowers employees by controlling their health care costs, benefits, retirement plans and business risks. He knows what it takes to succeed in a troubled economic environment.
6. Obamacare expert. Doug, in his work at his healthcare-related company, has become an Obamacare expert. He has read the legislation front to back and understands it fully. He has produced four videos to explain exactly why it won't work and what could replace it. The public needs clarity on this important issue.
7. Dick Durbin is more vulnerable than commonly believed. A recent poll showed Durbin's "hard-re-elect" number at 32 percent. That means that 68 percent of the voting population in Illinois is open to an alternative. That number historically has meant that an incumbent is highly vulnerable.
8. Entrenched, well-funded U.S. Senate candidates do occasionally get upset. History tells us that upsets can and do happen in U.S. Senate races. The public was shocked that Democrats like Russ Feingold as recently as 2010 went down to defeat in neighboring Wisconsin, and, although he didn't beat an incumbent, who can forget Scott Brown in liberal Massachusetts? Well-known Democrats such as Walter Huddleston, George McGovern, Gaylord Nelson, Birch Bayh and Frank Church were also defeated in huge upsets. Well-known Republican incumbents like Elizabeth Dole, Ted Stevens, George Allen, John Ashcroft and Terry Sanford also lost in upsets in recent years.
9. Dick Durbin has 32 years of baggage. Durbin entered Congress in 1982 as a relatively moderate, downstate Democrat and has devolved into one of the most liberal and partisan Senators whose views are out of touch with most mainstream Illinoisans. He is Barack Obama's most ardent champion and attack dog. He is vulnerable to an aggressive critique — which hasn't happened in his last several elections.
10. Primary opponent Jim Oberweis doesn't match up well against Durbin. Oberweis is much more vulnerable to an inevitable demonization campaign by Durbin and national Democrats. Oberweis has lost five elections in the last 11 years and has been caricatured as a gaffe-ridden candidate. Durbin and national Democrats are praying for Oberweis as an opponent and have already begun to raise money in anticipation of turning him into the next Todd Akin.
11. Oberweis could damage the top of the ticket in Illinois. If Oberweis is the nominee, his demonization as an uncaring, gaffe-ridden Republican could taint down-ballot candidates and be a detriment to GOP efforts to win the Governor's mansion and other offices.
12. Doug has much more upside as a transformational candidate. Doug has the ability to appeal to a much wider audience than Oberweis — a coalition necessary to beat an entrenched incumbent like Durbin in a Democratic-leaning state like Illinois. He appeals to youth, women, independents and conservative Democrats, as well as all wings of the Republican Party. That is exactly the recipe for success in 2014.

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