Democrats waste no time in launching attack on Hultgren

It didn't take long for the first punch to get thrown in the final round of the 14th Congressional District race.

Democrats didn't even wait 24 hours after the primary election before taking a swing at GOP candidate Randy Hultgren. Incumbent Congressman Bill Foster's campaign staff is still in its infancy. While Foster's team takes form, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee picked a fight on Foster's behalf.

The DCCC issued a statement labeling Hultgren a hypocrite and piggybacking on a recent radio ad from GOP primary foe Ethan Hastert from the primary race.

"Republican candidate for Illinois' 14th Congressional District State Sen. Randy Hultgren's real record of raising taxes stands in stark contrast to his hypocritical pledge to oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates," said Gabby Adler, the Midwestern press secretary for the DCCC in the statement. "In these tough economic times, Illinois families need an honest representative whose priority is helping middle class families and creating jobs, and State Sen. Randy Hultgren simply does not meet this standard."

Adler then pointed out a Hastert radio ad that said, "Sen. Randy Hultgren voted for a massive $31 billion tax increase just last year ... Randy Hultgren campaigns like a Springfield politician, too."

The tax increase refers to the six-year, $31 billion capital plan that Hultgren said is on shaky legs thanks to the inclusion of video gambling as one of its funding sources.

Hultgren did vote for that plan, but said he's been "consistently opposed" to gambling expansion. Hultgren said the DCCC attack is a blatant diversion from the fact that the flawed $31 billion capital plan was designed by the Illinois' Democratic leaders.

"And clearly the funding source that the Democrats pulled together has crumbled as video gambling has been locally rejected in many places," Hultgren said.

Hultgren said the state still needs a capital program for road and bridge improvements. He said he'd support a change to the plan that uses more motor fuel tax revenue to fund the capital projects.

"We need a clean funding source for this program," Hultgren said.