Furious finish as 10th Congressional Dist. candidiates press on

Voters in the 10th Congressional District who didn't see or hear any campaign-related materials over the weekend must have been out of town.

Heavily-funded candidates in both parties hit the streets and unleashed a flurry of ads to get their names and messages across in a district expected to attract attention from the national party organizations in November.

A relatively mild - but pricey - campaign has seen some attacks in recent weeks, though the barbs are not in the same ballpark as those in some high-profile statewide races.

Will going negative make a difference?

"By and large, on the North Shore where we have highly educated, independent voters, people don't respond well to negative campaigning because they feel they're being manipulated," said Larry Falbe, a Mettawa trustee and author of Team America's 10th District blog.

With no incumbent running, the primary race has been the most congested in 10 years. Five Republicans and three Democrats seek their parties' nominations in Tuesday's primary.

Comprising much of eastern Lake and parts of northern and northeastern Cook County, including the North Shore, the 10th District has been held by Republicans the last 30 years, though it's trended Democratic in its choices for president.

Even candidates like to say 10th District residents are willing to vote for a candidate and not necessarily the party.

But with incumbent Mark Kirk running for U.S. Senate, Democrats see a chance to break the GOP hold.

The Democratic candidates are Julie Hamos, 60, of Wilmette, the state representative for the 18th District since 1998; business consultant Dan Seals, 38, also of Wilmette, who narrowly lost to Kirk in 2006 and 2008; and Elliot Richardson, 37, an attorney from Highland Park making his first run at public office.

The Republican field includes Elizabeth Coulson, 55, of Glenview, a physical therapist and state representative in the 17th District since 1997; Robert Dold, 40, of Kenilworth, an attorney and owner of Rose Pest Solutions; Dick Green, 52, an economist from Winnetka; Arie Friedman, 43, a pediatrician from Highland Park and a former Navy helicopter pilot; and Paul Hamann, 51, an electrical engineer/commodities trader of Lake Forest.

Dold, Green, Friedman and Hamann are making their first runs for public office.

Because it is considered a moderate district where voters tout independence, candidates on both sides have had to tread carefully to be more inclusive.

"In this particular district, you're going to win it in the middle," said Kent Redfield, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Candidates, for example, uniformly have said creating jobs and cutting federal spending are priorities, and agree health care should be more accessible and affordable, though they differed on whether a public option should be part of a national reform plan.

As the only candidates with experience in office, Hamos and Coulson have been pegged by opponents as insiders within a dysfunctional state government.

Both dismiss those connections, saying they have been independent and willing to buck the system.

Hamos has honed an image as a hard worker whose family escaped Hungary during the revolution in 1956.

"I don't consider myself a politician. I don't like that word," she said. She has touted her work to fund and reform the Regional Transportation Authority and efforts to introduce a statewide consumer health care Web site.

Seals noted his high vote totals against Kirk, saying no one thought any challenger would have a chance. He has said people are frustrated and want to see change.

"The message is, `Get it done,'" he said.

Richardson has called for campaign finance reform.

"When I see the amount of time you have to spend on the phone to raise money, it keeps good people from running," he said.

Coulson has refuted charges of voting for new taxes as being a distortion of her record.

She has the endorsement of former Gov. Jim Edgar and former 10th District U.S. Rep. John Porter and is running as being honest, responsive and fiscally conservative.

"We set a goal to run a positive, issues-oriented grass-roots campaign," she said.

Green has a much smaller staff than his main challengers but has been blanketing the district with literature. He also has criticized Dold as supporting the Wall Street bailout.

Dold has taken a page from the John McCain playbook and during the final days of the campaign has been touring the district by bus, making about 60 stops along the way.

His message has been to bring small business common sense to Washington.

Friedman is regarded as a good candidate who entered the race late.

Hamann has distinguished himself by calling for an immediate end to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He said he would refuse campaign contributions.