Ill. primary will winnow field to replace Emanuel

[February 26, 2009]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Whoever ends up winning former Rep. Rahm Emanuel's congressional seat in a special election has some catching up to do.

Congress is already in session and key legislation has been passed, chiefly a massive $787 billion stimulus package that will mean a cash infusion for states like Illinois strapped by the recession.

High on the to-do list for Emanuel's replacement will be making sure the 5th Congressional District -- stretching from Chicago's wealthy North Side lakefront to ethnic enclaves on the northwest side and neighboring Cook County suburbs -- gets its fair share of government largesse.

"Obviously, you want to be there in the thick of things to fight for everything you can," said Democratic candidate and state Rep. John Fritchey.

Fritchey is among a dozen Democrats vying for his party's nomination in a March 3 special primary for a shot at the seat Emanuel left in January to become President Barack Obama's chief of staff.

The primary pits well-known Chicago Democrats against each other from Fritchey and his colleague state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz to Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley and longtime Chicago Alderman Patrick O'Connor.

A reliably Democratic district with Wrigley Field as one of its landmarks, the upcoming primary will winnow a field that also includes six Republicans and five Green Party candidates.

A special general election is set for April 7 and the winner will fill the remainder of the two-year term Emanuel won in November. Since 2002, Emanuel has represented the largely white district of Poles, Germans and Irish that has a sizable Hispanic population and a median income of about $48,500, according to the 2008 Almanac of American Politics.

It's the same seat once held by ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski.

A crowded field and an abbreviated election schedule -- candidates had just two months to campaign for the primary and will have just another month before the election -- means half the battle has been letting voters know there is an upcoming election.

"My opening line was, 'I'm Charlie Wheelan and I'm running to replace Rahm Emanuel in Congress' and a common response was, 'What's wrong with Rahm Emanuel?'" said Wheelan, a Democrat and economics expert who teaches at the University of Chicago.

It's understandable voters would be unaware of the upcoming election because the campaign has gone on during a time of great political distraction in Illinois.

First, there was the Blagojevich scandal with the former governor being impeached and removed from office after his arrest on federal corruption charges. Now, U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, Blagojevich's last-minute pick to replace Obama, is engulfed in a political firestorm over past connections to the ousted governor.

Still, the 5th District candidates are focused on getting their message out and mindful the district was not represented in the House during important debates over the stimulus package.

"I would have been fighting for less highways and more transit," said Quigley, who has won endorsements from both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Quigley, who has been a Cook County commissioner since 1998, said Chicago Transit Authority rail lines need to be rebuilt. The stimulus includes $8.4 billion for mass transit.

The bill has money for everything from school construction and repair to mass transit and road projects, all things the district needs.

"You cannot drive through the district without risking two flat tires," said Feigenholtz.

Republican Rosanna Pulido said she would have voted against the stimulus, calling it "the greatest fleecing of the American taxpayer ever in the history of the United States."

But since Democrats passed it, the district should get its share of the money to help with infrastructure work like road repairs, Pulido said.

[Associated Press; By DEANNA BELLANDI]

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