Walker's DUIs now subject of GOP mailer
Democratic candidate Mark Walker's drunken driving history is targeted in a Republican flier hitting mailboxes across the Northwest suburban district he hopes to represent.
The Illinois Republican Party recently mailed the flier, which details Walker's three previous drunken driving arrests, to boost the chances for challenger Christine Prochno.
Walker says he has not consumed alcohol since his last DUI in 1996 and he now leads "a better life" because of it.
On Wednesday, Walker took issue with Republicans bringing his drunken driving past into the campaign.
"These personal attacks are disheartening," Walker said.
Walker's driver's license was revoked in 1996 for three and half years after he received two DUIs on the same night in Schaumburg. He had received an earlier DUI in 1988 in Arlington Heights.
Following the DUIs, Walker said he received treatment for alcoholism and spoke to several groups about the disease. He plans to continue speaking on the topic and helping alcoholics in the future.
"I fully accept responsibility for my mistake," Walker said Wednesday. "I view this as a turning point in my life."
A spokeswoman for Prochno's campaign didn't return a phone call seeking comment. However, House Republican spokesman David Dring said it is fair to tell voters about Walker's DUI history.
"We think people should know what his public record is and make judgments based on that," Dring said.
The mailer includes a photo of a demolished car. Walker's three DUIs didn't involve an accident, but Dring said the picture is used to "demonstrate the severity of the issue."
Incumbent Republicans have received DUIs in the last several years, including state Rep. Bob Biggins of Elmhurst and state Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr. of Mundelein, who pleaded guilty in 2004 to driving while impaired in Michigan.
Dring said it would be appropriate for their driving records to become campaign fodder as well.
Dring said if their opponents want to "bring that up, then that is their right to educate voters about it."
Walker, of Arlington Heights, and Prochno, of Elk Grove, are competing to replace retiring state Rep. Carolyn Krause in the 66th District, which includes all or parts of Rolling Meadows, Mount Prospect and Elk Grove Village.