May 5th, 2003
By Jaime
Griesgraber
Daily Northwestern
Five democratic U.S.
Senate hopefuls and four current Illinois politicians met in Evanston on Sunday
to criticize the Bush administration while urging Evanston residents to
mobilize their political clout in the next election.
Evanston Democrats
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg state Rep. Julie Hamos and
Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin were among those who attended the
annual meeting of the Democratic Party of Evanston, at the CG Jung Institute of
Chicago, 1567 Maple Ave. About 100 Democratic Party members attended the event.
Schakowsky, who spoke
at the event, criticized the Bush administration and its role in the war
against Iraq.
She also blamed the
administration for the poor economy.
"I have never been
afraid before of an administration," Schakowsky said. "But I am now."
She said Evanston
residents can play an important role in the 2004 election and must devote their
attention to supporting Democrats.
"I am here to sound
the alarm," she said. "We must have a strategy and must carry it out."
Though the U.S. Senate
primaries are not until March, Illinois candidates showed they already are
developing strategies for their campaigns.
The five candidates at
the meeting were Blair Hull, a business owner; Barack Obama, a state senator;
Dan Hynes, the chief financial officer of Illinois; Joyce Washington, a nurse;
and Gery Chico, a Chicago lawyer.
Incumbent Republican
Sen. Peter Fitzgerald will not seek another term, leaving a spot open that the
Democrats hope to fill.
All five expressed
disappointment with Bush administration's domestic and international agendas.
Obama said he is most
concerned with the USA Patriot Act, while Hull and Hynes stressed the
importance of reviving the economy. Chico named education as a priority and
Washington said she supports universal health care.
Whatever the issue,
Chico said, Democrats must come together for the 2004 election.
"The most important
thing is that we put someone forward who is a good Democrat and who can
incorporate all of the different interests of Illinois," he said.
Though most Evanston
residents are not ready to cast a vote for a specific candidate, some said
hearing platforms was a good way to look ahead.
Resident Maidel Cason,
74, said, "Every time I heard (a candidate), I think it helped me think through
some of the things that will be important to me when it comes to primary time."
Democratic
presidential candidate Carol Mosely Braun was supposed to be at the event, but
a plane delay kept her away.
In 1992, Mosely Braun
was the first black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. She lost re-election to
Fitzgerald in 1998 amid allegations of campaign finance fraud.
But organizers said
Mosely Braun's absence did not hurt the event.
"This is a forum to
inform our members of the issues that are important to us," said Bonnie Wilson,
the Evanston party president. "By helping the (party), we will elect a
democratic senator and president in 2004."
Attendee Ald. Steven
Bernstein (4th) also expressed enthusiasm.
"We've got a great
energy right now," he said. "Democrats have a really great nucleus in
Evanston."
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