Marty Ozinga has a campaign manager, a candidate filing statement, and a website. He's even got business cards that read "Ozinga ’08 for Congress.". But Monical's pizza chain owner Harry Bond isn't giving up hope that he could be tapped by the GOP county chairs as their nominee in the 11th Congressional District race:

Bond has acknowledged that his opponent, concrete business owner Martin Ozinga III of Orland Park, may have an edge in getting picked.

“I think Mr. Ozinga probably has the upper hand at this point,” Bond said. “He’s got more name recognition and presence in Will County. I think that gives him a solid inside track, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still in the race.”

The county chairs have to reach a decision by Wednesday on their candidate to face State Sen. Debbie Halvorson in the fall.  Halvorson's campaign currently has over $650,000 cash on hand.

Both Ozinga and Bond are wealthy businessmen who have said they are willing to pour some of their personal wealth into the campaign:

Bond, whose pizza chain has outlets in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, said he would be willing to sink some of his personal finances into running his campaign if he’s selected.

“I would put some of my resources into this because I believe in this race,” Bond said.

The question is: Would Bond throw in more than the $350,000 maximum set by Ozinga?