Progress Illinois

While covering Alexi Giannoulias' campaign announcement on Sunday, I happened to run into 13th District Democratic congressional candidate Scott Harper and conducted a brief on-camera interview with him.  Topics included: what he's been doing since November 4, 2008 (when he lost his initial challenge to GOP Rep. Judy Biggert), what's in store for his 2010 campaign, and what he thinks of Biggert's voting record in the 110th Congress.  Watch it:

After a strong challenge to GOP Rep. Judy Biggert last year, Democrat Scott Harper announced today that he will once again attempt to unseat her in 2010. As we noted last month, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was clearly impressed with Harper's previous efforts, so much so that they actively recruited him to give it another shot. The Daily Herald has more:

After being courted to run again by Maryland Congressman and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen, Harper said the decision to do so was made easier.

"I'm very excited to be working with the DCCC," he said. "We're trying to get our message out and sell our vision, and hopefully they'll be with us every step of the way." [...]

"Scott proved his ability ro raise large sums of money and build grassroots support," said Gabby Adler, the DCCC's midwestern regional press secretary. "We are confident with more time, money and support Scott Harper will no doubt be a serious threat to Judy Biggert as voters realize times have changed, but their member of Congress has not."

In conjunction with his announcement today, Harper rolled out a new website, as well as the following introductory video:

Last year, Democratic congressional challenger Scott Harper received virtually no help from the national Democratic Party in his race to unseat 13th District Rep. Judy Biggert. Ten days ago, Harper filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, signifying that he's going to give it another shot. And this time around, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is taking notice. From an article today in Roll Call (subscription required):

“We’re excited about the possibility that Scott Harper may challenge Congresswoman Biggert in 2010,” DCCC spokeswoman Gabby Adler said. “Last cycle, during an abbreviated campaign, Scott proved his ability to raise large sums of money and build grass-roots support. We’re confident that with more time, money and support, Scott will no doubt be a serious threat to Judy Biggert as voters realize times have changed but their Member of Congress has not.”

In response, the National Republican Congressional Committee has identified Biggert as one of 10 legislators who qualify for its Patriot Program, a comprehensive incumbent retention program. According to Politico, the national party will organize fundraisers, bring in "high-profile Republican surrogates," and utilize their own money to buoy Biggert's campaign. In other words, they realize which way the wind is blowing.

A few interesting tidbits regarding the 2010 congressional field in Illinois.

For starters, "several sources close to her thinking" tell the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza that Attorney General Lisa Madigan is considering a run for U.S. Senate, rather than governor. As we've noted, it's unclear how Madigan would justify a primary challenge against Gov. Quinn considering he has been in office for so little time. On the other hand, recent polling data shows Madigan to be a formidable candidate for either governor or Senate. While those results may have emboldened Madigan to keep her options open, Cillizza points out that a Madigan Senate bid is "far from a sure thing":

There are at least two reasons why she won't run: she covets the governor's office and she is sitting on more than $4 million in a state campaign account that could not be transferred to a Senate bid.

Meanwhile, judging from an interview on WIND 560's John and Cisco in the Morning today, GOP Rep. Peter Roskam appears to be backing away from the idea of a Senate run. Listen:

Internal mp3

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Yesterday, Democratic congressional candidate Scott Harper lost his race against 13th District GOP Rep. Judy Biggert by a ten point margin -- 54-44 percent.  Here's a statement he released this morning:

Although we fell short in our campaign for change, we came closer than any Democrat in more than two decades to winning back this seat and we made great strides that will undoubtedly help to change the political landscape of this district for years to come.

We are honored and humbled to have earned more votes than any Democratic candidate in the history of the 13th District and we are proud that we stayed focused on the issues that matter most.

Rose, a freckled, brown-haired field organizer, laughed when I asked what time she got up this morning. "Three-fifteen," she said with a slight grin. "But we didn't get to bed until 2:30."

Over the past week, staffers like Rose and a bevy of volunteers for Democrat Scott Harper's 13th District campaign have worked at a frenetic pace. When I arrived at at their Naperville-based headquarters just before 6 AM, 60 canvassers were already out in the field, posting signs and passing out campaign flyers. Throughout the day, the campaign plans to run phone banks from 14 office phones, dispatch volunteers for election protection, and hit targeted precincts with GOTV materials.

According to Harper, his campaign's enthusiasm matches that of the district's voters. "I've been out to train stations and coffee shops and I've knocked on doors," he told me, standing next to his daughter who had flown in from New York City, "and it feels like a lot of people out there want change."

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In a segment on the 13th Congressional District race tonight, ABC 7's Charles Thomas reported that GOP Rep. Judy Biggert is "openly worried about the effect of Democrat Barack Obama on her reelection campaign."  Thomas later featured a clip of Biggert playing up the potential split-tickets in the district (at least in terms of yard signs).  He wrapped up the segment by reporting that the Republican incumbents in tight contests in the Chicago suburbs are "no longer criticizing the Democratic presidential candidate, not wanting to antagonize so many Obama voters." Watch it:

(UPDATE: The Cook Political Report has downgraded IL-13 from "Solid Republican" to "Likely Republican.")

Speaking of Obama's support in the 13th District, Huffington Post Chicago highlights a tidbit we missed this morning: 

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Scott Harper released his first ad today and, I have to say, it's more visually engaging than any of the other congressional spots I've seen in Illinois this cycle:

Last night on WTTW, 13th District GOP Rep. Judy Biggert and Democratic challenger Scott Harper appeared together for a discussion that largely focused on the economy and ongoing financial crisis.  Biggert's performance didn't exactly instill confidence, however.  Simply put, she seemed a bit out of it. 

Check out her answer to a question about taxes.  Her argument -- this is no time for tax hikes -- is pretty straightforward and unsurprising coming from the lips of a GOP congresswoman.  But watch as she appears to just lose her train of thought:

That's not the way you want to end a debate.

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Scott Harper, the Democratic candidate challenging GOP Rep. Judy in the 13th District, is less than two hours away from completing a 24-hour tour of the district.  When I first heard about the idea, I assumed that he would be taking a break in the wee hours.  But I stand corrected.  A look at the schedule shows that he kept on moving straight through the night, even meeting with night-shift workers at 3:30 this morning:

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