Buoyed by the Scott Brown victory, patriots continue to fight for good government at the voting booth.Today's focus is on the Illinois Republican primary for US Senate.  

Six Republican are vying to be the pick that goes head to head with the Democratic candidate in November.  Only one contender in the Republican primary has held a substantial poll lead since entering the race in July 2009. That is Mark Kirk, 50, the only high profile candidate currently serving his fifth term in the US House (representing Illinois’ 10th district). Kirk has received the blessing of the Illinois Republican Party, national GOP heavyweights like John McCain and is a powerhouse fundraiser, He has also been endorsed by Chicago's Daily Herald, the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune.

The others on the ballot have little name recognition or money. They include political unknowns and contenders with no previous political experience. All that is available to evaluate them are their resumes and official positions as compared to Kirk's legislative voting record.   Only two of these lesser known individuals will be spotlighted in this article, along with Mark Kirk.  They are Patrick Huges, 40, attorney and real estate developer who has won endorsements from numerous high-profile conservatives and pro-life groups, (see below*) and Judge Don Lowery, 62, retired Illinois Circuit Court Judge who has been endorsed by many Illinois grassroots organizations and bloggers on Redstate.com (see below**).

Mark Kirk

Resume highlights

• Received a BA from Cornell University, a Master Degree from the London School of Economics and Law Degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
• Served as an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserve and currently serves as a reservist providing drill training. Recently returned from his second deployment to Afghanistan.

Votes on key issues:

• Was one of eight House Republicans to vote for cap and trade http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll477.xml

• Voted for prohibiting oil drilling and development of ANWR http://www.ontheissues.org/HouseVote/Party_2001-317.htm

• Voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll242.xml. Has received a 100% rating from both Planned Parenthood and NARAL.

• One of a handful of Republicans who voted against the surge in Iraq http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll099.xml

• Joined with Democrats in sponsoring hate crime legislation http://www.opencongress.org/vote/2009/h/223

• Supports reinstating the assault weapons bans. Has received an F rating from the NRA and an F- from the Gun Owners of America.
 

• Voted against the House health reform bill and the stimulus package.

 Voted against an amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll242.xml

More about Mark Kirk can be found on his website:  www.kirkforsenate.com.  More information about his voting record can be found at:  http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/k000360/key-votes

Patrick Hughes

Resume highlights:

• Received his law degree from DePaul University.

• Current occupation is homebuilding and real estate development. Previously served as a commercial litigation attorney for two prominent Chicago law firms.

• First time running for public office.

Platform

• As a businessman and capitol investor believes that limited government spending and the removal of oppressive taxes and unnecessary regulations will lead to economic growth. Opposes cap and trade legislation.

• Support the second amendment and a lawful citizen’s right to bear arms.

• Pro-life. Opposes partial birth abortions and the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.

• Opposes granting amnesty to illegal aliens. Supports strengthening protection of our borders and imposing strict penalties on businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants.

• Supports a strong national defense characterized by a well funded and expertly trained military and an aggressive approach to the war on terror.

• Supports traditional view of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

• Supports a comprehensive approach to US energy independence including harvesting coal, oil and natural gas reserves, drilling offshore and in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and investing in new energy technologies such as wind, solar and biofuels.

• Supports reforming health care by reducing government mandates, allowing citizens to shop for health insurance across state lines, providing tax credits to families to purchase health insurance, passing tort reform, and eliminating fraud and waste.

• *Patrick Hughes has been endorsed by a spectrum of high profile conservatives, pro-life groups, local tea parties and businesspeople. The short list includes radio hosts and authors Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham, Phyllis Schlafly, Mike Ditka, Richard Perle (former Assistant Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan), The Illinois Federation For Right to Life, (the largest pro-life organization in Illinois), Catholic Citizens for Life, the Joliet Tax Day Tea Party, Family PAC, (leading pro-family, anti-tax political action committee in Illinois), Will County Tea Party Alliance, and Timothy P. Farrell, (President and CEO, American Hardware Manufacturing Association). The rest of the endorsements can be viewed on the candidate’s website --  www.patrickhughesforsenate.com

Judge Don Lowery

Resume highlights:

• Decorated US Army veteran of the Viet Nam War where he served as Captain and received the Bronze Star, Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medal.

• Commenced his college degree in 1970 on the GI Bill after returning from his tour of duty in Viet Nam. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Economics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he was honored with the Wall Street Journal Outstanding Student in Economics Award during his senior year. He graduated from the charter class of the SIUC School of Law.

• Served 26 years as a Circuit Court Judge on the First Judicial Circuit of Illinois. Prior to serving as a Judge, he was a States Attorney and a public defender. He is a strict constructionist and believes lawmakers should adhere to the principles of the U. S. Constitution.

• Demonstrated fiscal conservatism in his role as Chairperson of the First Judicial Circuit Probation Oversight Committee by establishing a reserve fund which enabled the Circuit Probation Department to continue operations and meet payroll even when the State was unable to meet its own.

• After retirement, Judge Lowery attended maritime school and earned his Master Captain’s license in the Merchant Marine.

• He currently resides on a grain farm, is a member of the Farm Bureau, a Life and Endowment Member of the National Rifle Association, the Illinois State Rifle Association and a Lifetime Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Platform

• Opposes the “tax and spend” approach to governance. Supports, lowering taxes, simplifying the tax code, reducing the national debt and balancing the budget. Believes the strength of our economy is based on the free market system and that government should only be minimally involved. Opposes cap and trade.

• Supports inserting an automatic sunset provision in all laws that contain expenditures of public money mandating review of these expenditures on a periodic basis.

• Supports a complete audit of the Federal Reserve.

• Supports the second amendment which grants law-abiding citizens the right to keep and bear arms.

• Supports single subject laws that only allow matters related to the primary objective of the bill to be contained therein without earmarks or other unrelated provisions. Supports reform to require legislative debate on the pros and cons of every bill and that bills be fully written and completely read by each member of Congress before a vote is called, along with the elimination of artificial and arbitrary timelines.

• Supports healthcare as the purview of the States; free market measures to reform healthcare such as eliminating government restrictions that prevent the purchase of insurance plans across state lines and prevent insurance products based upon individual needs, not mandatory state requirements. Supports tort reform as essential to healthcare cost containment and is opposed to current reductions in Medicare benefits especially when imposed with no commensurate cost of living increase in Social Security benefits.

• Supports legislation to protect pension plans and the Social Security Trust Fund by preventing Congress from raiding those reserves to fund their special programs. Supports also placing Medicare in a protected fund.

• Supports using all means, military, technological and otherwise, to control our borders, including close monitoring of individuals who enter the US on visas or other alien-status documentation to ensure timely return to their countries; permanently deporting all aliens that are convicted of a crime after they have served their sentence in the US; and, cutting off federal funds to any municipality that will not cooperate with federal immigration law and becomes a sanctuary for illegal immigrants.

• Supports a strong military and strong national defense policies

• Supports a comprehensive approach to energy independence through exploration of all domestic energy options including solar, wind, nuclear, and bio-energy including fossil fuels and agricultural products.

• Pro-life. Opposed to partial birth abortions, federal funding of abortions, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research.

• Supports marriage as in institution between a man and a woman.

• Opposes corporate bail-outs.

• Supports term limits.

• Concerned about the current trend toward secularism and believes that the rights and protections set forth in the First Amendment about the division between church and state have been misconstrued. Believes that the First Amendment was designed to prevent government from imposing one religion on the nation, not to prohibit the freedom of religious practices or to eliminate all references to God in our school system and in the public arena.

•** Endorsed by Illinois Conservatives, Independence Caucus, Illinois Conservative Action Network, Illinois State Rifle Association, Illinois Tea Party. Additional endorsements can be found on his website: www.judgelowery4ussenate.com.  Also see; www.sodahead.com/united-states/support-judge-lowery-in-illinois-republican-primary-for-us-senate-feb-2/blog-249289/

 The candidates not covered in this article are: Kathleen Thomas, 61, a historical researcher at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, who has never held public office; John Arrington, 49, Harvard Law School graduate and former community organizer and perennial Chicago candidate Andy Martin, whose disreputable history includes being censured for filing too many frivolous lawsuits, authoring anti-Semitic writings and most recently running attack radio ads questioning Kirk's sexual orientation.

The latest Rasmussen telephone survey of likely Illinois Republican Primary voters, conducted January 28, finds Kirk leading Hughes 53% to 18%. Twelve percent preferred some other candidate, and 18% were still undecided.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/illinois/election_2010_illinois_republican_primary_for_senate
 

For additional information and articles about the primary see: www.surgeusa.org/change/il2010.htm

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/01/mark_kirk_endorsed_by_sun-time.html  

www.redstate.com (search for Patrick Hughes and Judge Lowery)