questions for IL-07 candidates for Congress

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis announced he was running for re-election. You can read the statement that got forwarded to me at the bottom of this entry.

As of Tuesday, November 10 at 1 PM the following candidates are still list as active on the website of the Illinois State Board of Elections.

• Mark M. Weiman (Republican)
• Jim Ascot (D)
• Darlena Williams-Burnett (D)
• Marshall E. Hatch, Sr. (D)
• Robert Dallas (D)
• Danny K. Davis (D)
• Joyce Washington (D)
• Sharon Denise Dixon (D)
• Clarence Desmond Clemons (D)
• Kip Robbins (Green)

I have written a letter to each of these candidates asking the following questions.

• Are you withdrawing your name from the ballot? Will you be actively campaigning for election as U.S. Representative?
• What is your reaction to Davis' announcement?
• What are three things voters should know about you?
• Are you willing to answer a more detailed questionnaire in writing?
• Are you willing to respond to questions posed by Proviso Probe's audience?
• Will you give an interview on video tape to me (Carl Nyberg)? I will post the entire video on Google videos. I will post an excerpted version on You Tube.
• What is the phone number and email address I should use to contact your campaign? What is the URL for your website?

I'm having technical difficulties with my printer, but I was able to email the letter to Ascot, Hatch, Davis, and Dixon because they have websites that allow you to contact the campaign.

Statement of Congressman Danny K. Davis Announcing his candidacy for Re-Election to Congress and withdrawing his candidacy for President of the Cook County Board Monday, November 9, 2009 For immediate Release: Contact: Tumia Romero 773-726-4479 tumia@dannykdavis.com Several months ago I announced the formation of a committee to explore the possibility of running for President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Several hundred people responded to the announcement and we were off and running. Around the same time Clerk of the Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown announced that she was running, Alderwoman Toni Preckwinkle had already announced and it was generally assumed that President Todd Stroger would run for re-election and shortly thereafter Terrence O’Brien of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District announced that he was a candidate. I immediately began to talk about unity and unification being the best and most effective way of assuring that a moderate, liberal or more progressive candidate had a good chance of winning. I immediately had a poll conducted. The results showed that I was in a good position to win. County slate making came around and all five of the candidates presented our credentials. The Cook County Democratic Party did not make an endorsement. I commissioned another poll and this time the results were essentially the same, with me being significantly ahead of all other candidates. Filing time came around and thanks to our excellent network of volunteers and coordinators we were able to file more than fifty thousand signatures to be placed on the ballot. Notwithstanding the fact that I have filed the most signatures, have the best standing in all of the polling data that I have seen, have the broadest base of support and have the largest network of volunteers, I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for President of the Cook County Board and instead will run for re-election to represent the greatest Congressional District in America, the 7th District of Illinois. I know that some people will ask me why? (1) I like being a Congressman (2) I am good at it. I am pleased to be a part of the passage of the Health Reform Legislation that we passed out of the House on Saturday night which will revolutionize Health Care Delivery in the United States and along with my American community Renewal Act and new Markets Initiatives, my Second Chance Act, Sickle Cell prevention, Education Legislation, Suicide Prevention Bill, Postal Reform and Enhancement Act, Predominately Black Institutions and millions of dollars in appropriations and earmarks give me a foundation to go back to Congress to build upon. (3) I like representing the people of the 7th District, and; (4) I have always pushed the concept of unity and have always recognized that it would be politically dangerous for 4 candidates all from the same community and from the same political base to run for the same office, at the same time, with one (1) more conservative candidate in the race. Therefore, one could say that I am withdrawing from the County Board Race for the sake of Unity. I am a candidate for re-election to the United States House of Representatives and to volunteer or send a donation by internet at www.dannykdavis.com, call us at 773-638-1998 or visit us at 3333 W. Arthington Street, Chicago, Illinois. Again, I thank all of our volunteers and staff, Campaign Manager Tumia Romero, Coordinators Clarence Thomas, James Blasingame, Leo Webster, Jesse Davis, Kente Kizer, David Harvey, Jesse Brown, Gerard Moorer, James Flagg, Shawn Romero, Katy Hogan, Jesse Rios, Deandre Allen, Ina Cruz, and people from all over Cook County. Thank you very much and I shall be pleased to answer any questions. Office Address: 3333 W. Arthington, Suite 135, Chicago, IL 60624.

Feel free to comment on Davis' statement in the comments.