Could GOP lose Hastert seat?
14TH DISTRICT | Oberweis a tough sell for some in Republican stronghold
Some flavors of ice cream are just a bit too tangy for conservative palates.
Maybe that's why Republican dairy magnate Jim Oberweis is having trouble selling himself to mostly Republican voters in this far west suburban congressional seat Denny Hastert held for 21 years.
(AP files)
"There's a lot of Republicans who just don't like Jim Oberweis,'' said NIU political science professor Matthew Streb. "He's got more name recognition. He's got slightly more money, and the district leans Republican. There's no reason Jim Oberweis should lose, but there's a very legitimate chance he could lose this election."
The most vanilla candidate in the race may be soft-spoken Democratic former Fermilab physicist Bill Foster, who answers many questions about what he would do in Congress by candidly admitting that as a freshman he won't be able to do much.
National Republicans andDemocrats have poured $1.5 million each this week into this first-of-its-kind Saturday special-election.
Foster, 52, also a theater lighting company owner, is new to politics. Oberweis, 61, who chairs an asset management company and three mutual funds, is well-known to voters from controversial ads and statements he made in three previous races for governor and U.S. Senate. In 2001, he compared anti-abortion activists to members of the Taliban.
Oberweis' ads say Foster plans to raise taxes on the middle class, even though Foster says he would only roll back tax cuts on the top 1 percent to 2 percent of Americans making $300,000 to $500,000 a year or more. "Middle class" generally refers to families making $50,000 to $100,000 a year, said NIU economics professor Khan Mohabbat.
An Oberweis mailer shows actors portraying a firefighter's family who would pay $8,905 more a year in taxes of Foster is elected.
Where did Oberweis get that? He assumed Foster would get rid of tax cuts for the middle class -- which Foster says he would keep -- and plugged those salaries into the "tax calculator" on the conservative Heritage Foundation's Web site and mulitplied by five, said Oberweis spokesman Bill Pascoe. Tax plans come in five-year increments, he said.
John McCain and Hastert back Oberweis. Barack Obama and 28 Nobel prize winners endorse Foster.
Talking to Kane County GOP leaders Wednesday, Oberweis begged for help: "This is a challenging race with significant national attention. We need your help. This race is very close. It's within 1 or 2 percentage points either way. If the Democrats win this seat we will hear nothing but, 'Boy, the tide has turned. Democrats are taking over all across the country, they've just won Speaker Hastert's seat.' If we can hold this seat on the Republican side, the story will be . . . a tide turning in favor of Republicans."
Foster agrees with Oberweis on one issue: "It's a big election; the whole country is watching."
