Senator Debbie Halvorson, Illinois Senate Majority Leader, has no opposition in the Democratic primary to win the open seat for Illinois' 11th Congressional District.   This seat is open due to the late announcement by Republican Congressman Jerry Weller that he would not run again for the seat he won in 1994.  The Chicago Reader and Chicago Tribune had run damaging articles about his land dealings in Guatemala and Nicaragua and his marriage Zury Rios Sosa, the daughter of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt.  See: http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/st ories/jerryweller/

On Friday, John Pavich, former CIA officer, received the endorsement of the Peoria Journal Star over Congressman Jerry Weller.  This is the first newspaper endorsement in the district.  Hopefully, John will receive many others including the endorsements from the Chicago newspapers.

The Peoria Journal Star states:

If voters in the 11th Congressional District believe in holding politicians accountable for their promises, they won't re-elect Republican incumbent Jerry Weller, who got swept into Congress with the legendary Contract With America class of 1994.
Instead, they should vote for Democrat John Pavich...

See the full endorsement at: http://www.pjstar.com/stories/101306/END _BB5B7MNK.058.shtml

John Pavich, Democratic Candidate in IL-11, spoke at his alma mater, St. Norbert College, in DePere Wisconsin on Wednesday evening. John, who served in counter terrorism operations of the CIA, discussed human rights in the age of terrorism to a crowd of about 75 students, faculty, and community members.

John addressed the threats to our basic constitutional liberties and the need to have a public debate on the proper balance between efforts to fight terrorism and preserving basic civil liberties, which he believes have been thwarted by a climate of fear. John also addressed the dangers of warrantless wiretaps on American citizens and the efforts to strip the judiciary of power to review actions of the President of the United States.

John spoke for about 25 minutes and then answered audience questions for another hour. Many of the questions focused on Iraq and how to deal with the current situation there.  One audience member asked about torture and John's perspective as a former CIA agent.  John also addressed general questions about Democratic policy vs. Republican policy.

At the end, 10-15 audience members stayed and chatted with John and his wife, Kelly Pavich,  about his campaign and getting involved to get John elected in IL-11.

See more information at:  http://www.pavichforcongress.com/

Last Friday, John Pavich challenged Congressman Jerry Weller to a series of debates in front of 100-150 constituents in Ottawa, IL.  It was fitting that Pavich challenged Weller to debate at the Lincoln & Douglas Memorial where Abraham Lincoln held his first debate with Stephen Douglas.

Margaret Blackshere, President of the Illinois AFL-CIO, was there with John in support of his campaign.

It was a cold, overcast day, but it was nice to see such a large diverse crowd come out for John. The crowd was a mixture of Hispanic, White, and African American constituents.  It was nice to see a lot of Seniors there too.  

John's speech and comments lasted approximately 20 minutes and then he chatted with constituents and answered their questions for another half hour.

The text of his speech can be found at:  http://pavichforcongress.com/node/106

If you are interested in donating to John, you can do so at:

http://www.actblue.com/page/Pavich+for+C ongress%2C+IL-11

Take a minute to look at the new website for John Pavich.  John is running for the congressional seat currently held by ethically challenged congressman, Jerry Weller in IL-11. Like many Republicans, Jerry can't seem to stop taking money from special interest lobbyists.

See the site at:

http://pavichforcongress.com/

The new site allows you to get a lot of information about this race and the district.  There has already been a lot written about this race by district newspapers so you can find that information too.  Feel free to sign up for campaign emails, add your name to the volunteer list, or donate some money to John.

I've spoken about this before, but this is a race that can be won.

Also, a big thank you to Leo at IllinoisDemNet for doing such a great site for John Pavich!

As of December 31, 2005, John Pavich is the best funded Democratic Challenger for US Congress in Illinois.  He has raised nearly $250K and has over $190K in cash.  He has more cash on hand than several Democratic and Republican incumbents in IL. Also, he has not loaned his campaign any money.  He is in very good shape since he does not have a primary opponent.

While everyone is squabbling about IL-6, they need to start looking at John Pavich.  He is a great guy, an inspirational speaker, and has a great story!

Find out about him at: http://www.pavichforcongress.com/

Donate to him at: http://www.actblue.com/list/Pavich+for+C ongress,+IL-11