BY MIKE CETERA
Wurfwhile blog reports that a former sacrificial lamb to Dennis Hastert is mulling another run at the 14th Congressional District seat.
Auroran Vern DelJonson provided me the best quote of my career. But his political resume is undistinguished.
When asked in 2000 why DelJonson, the Democratic nominee, was taking on then House Speaker Dennis Hastert and the national Republican Party, he said: "You take out the most secure seat, you're going to scare the crap out of
the rest of them. I'm trying to get the whores out of Congress."
It doesn't really need to be said, but Hastert walloped DelJonson by nearly 60,000 votes.
Back then, DelJonson's campaign platform called for a ban on soft money and union and corporate contributions and a campaign donation limit of just $100. He also favored a single-payer health-care system, decriminalization of
marijuana and an income-tax plan that allows people who earn less than $32,000 a year to keep all of their earnings. Read the full 2000 profile here.
It's a little unclear why DelJonson would get into the Democratic primary, which features a number of candidates with better name recognition and access to lots of cash. The announced Democrats vying for the seat are Bill Foster of Geneva, Jotham Stein of Geneva and John Laesch of Yorkville, the last man to lose to Hastert.
It's a little unclear too why John Laesch is running again except to lose again - this time in the primary.