Ill. congressional candidate capitalizing on Obama

[September 30, 2008]  CHICAGO (AP) -- As a young black candidate with little political experience, Dan Seals can't avoid the comparisons to the man heading his party's ticket: Barack Obama.

So he's embracing them.

Seals makes no bones about hitching his star to his fellow Illinoisan in hope of unseating a Republican incumbent in a suburban Chicago district that has been trending Democratic.

"People associate Obama with change, and they associate me with change," said Seals, who ran his first campaign ad the night Obama delivered his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Seals, a 37-year-old business consultant, is making his second bid against four-term Republican Rep. Mark Kirk, a Naval Reserve commander who was first elected in 2000.

The district covers a swath of Illinois bordering Lake Michigan that stretches north of Chicago almost to Wisconsin and includes some of the state's wealthiest suburbs as well as working-class towns. In 2004, the district backed Democrat John Kerry for president.

Kirk, 49, won his seat in 2000 by casting himself in the moderate mold of his predecessor, former GOP Rep. John Porter. He supports environmental protection and abortion rights, earning an endorsement from Planned Parenthood. His campaign touts a "family-focused suburban agenda."

Kirk won only 53 percent of the vote against Seals, a former director at GE Capital and then-political unknown, in their last matchup in 2006. He had won previous races against Democrats with 64 percent and 69 percent of the vote.

This time, Seals is counting on better name recognition and high turnout -- because of Obama's home state popularity and voter dissatisfaction with President Bush -- to help give him the boost he needs to win. He's also focusing on Kirk's support for the unpopular war in Iraq, contending he was out of step with the district.

Kirk was not available for comment despite repeated requests for an interview.

"Recent polling data in the 10th District showed Congressman Kirk and Senator Obama were equally popular," Kirk spokesman Eric Elk said in a statement.

Kirk was among the GOP congressmen who last year met with Bush to tell him they were concerned the war could lead to more GOP losses this fall.

While Seals blasts Kirk for too often siding with Bush, Republicans are playing up some of Seals' campaign gaffes. There was a gas giveaway that snarled traffic, causing headaches for suburban police, and an appearance with Illinois' head of veterans affairs, who broke the law when she used a state-owned van to get to the event. The GOP has even tried to use that appearance to link Seals to unpopular Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

National Democrats are paying close attention to the 10th Congressional District race this year, a switch from two years ago when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee didn't give Seals any financial help until just days before the election. This time, the DCCC has so far spent more than $150,000 on the race.

The race is an expensive one and both Kirk and Seals are raising lots of cash -- so far about $6 million between them, according to the latest federal filings, with Kirk leading in the money race. Kirk had more than $2.8 million on hand as of July 1, compared to about $1.2 million for Seals.

Seals has the endorsement of Obama to lean on. What Obama will do personally for Seals before Election Day, such as appearing in a campaign ad, remains to be seen.

Kirk's campaign maintains voters will stick with him because he has shown his independence and is loyal to his district. "Congressman Kirk remains focused on local issues that directly affect the communities he represents," Elk said.

[Associated Press; By DEANNA BELLANDI]

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