BY DAVE PARRO
State Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora, plans to officially launch his campaign for Congress this week with a three-day, 24-stop tour through the 14th District.
Lauzen, who is seeking to replace retiring Rep. Dennis Hastert, pretty much lays out his campaign strategy by calling his kickoff the "Faith, Family, and the Fruits of Freedom” Tour. The eight-term state senator said those are the pillars he has brought to the General Assembly and will bring to the halls of Congress.
With the Planned Parenthood clinic story getting bigger every day, Lauzen's timing couldn't be better to launch a platform built on those values.
Lauzen's tour kicks off Wednesday at Garfield Park in Aurora. It'll be fun to watch the Republicans define themselves over the next few months, as conservatives Lauzen and Jim Oberweis fight it out for the same votes and Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, a moderate, tries to take advantage of that split.
Lauzen has always been a staunch conservative and pretty much has the anti-abortion camp locked up because of his past support for pro-life legislation. He's been making appearances at the protests of the Aurora Planned Parenthood clinic, and he has to know this controversy could work in his favor.
It's unfortunate when voters make decisions based on a single issue, but Lauzen really could benefit from Aurora becoming the new national center of the abortion debate.
Shame on you, Beacon blog.
Chris Lauzen is a true patriot, and I'm not surprised that the local liberal media is smirking about his latest run for higher office.
How dare you suggest that he would use his heartfelt opposition to abortion/murder to boost his run for Congress! He was a regular protester at the Jakubowski clinic, right?
Not only is he a social conservative icon, he is also a true fiscal conservative. Our illustrious state senator shows his true values by bringing next to no state money here in the Fox Valley - just to prove his point that we don't really need it.
(And the $10,000 in state money that he earmarked for stained glass in a City of Naperville parking garage a few years back? That was MEANT to be ironic. He was pulling a fast one on Naperville. You pinko writers don't get it.)
Chris Lauzen is exactly the man we need to represent us in Congress.
RESPONSE FROM DAVE PARRO:
Clark,
I'm not sure how you concluded I was smirking about Lauzen's run. I happen to respect him for the very reasons you outlined.
Also, you should be careful about throwing around the words "liberal media." It's easy to say but difficult to back up. The Beacon has endorsed Lauzen in most of his elections since 1992, if not all of them, including his 1998 race for state comptroller.
the beacon? liberal? ha.