8th Dist candidate: Congress 'out of touch'

Maria Rodriguez's choice of location for her congressional campaign kickoff Thursday was no accident.

Standing on a sidewalk in front of the long-closed Abernathy's Department Store in downtown Mundelein, Rodriguez talked of economic recovery and the need to create jobs before formally announcing her bid to unseat Democrat incumbent Melissa Bean in the 8th House District in 2010.

But Rodriguez, a Republican in her second term as Long Grove's mayor, spent most of the gathering attacking nameless politicians for not properly listening to the people they represent on health care and other issues.

"I think that the members of Congress right now are out of touch with the American people," Rodriguez told the crowd of about a dozen supporters. "I believe they are not listening, and I believe that is unacceptable."

Rodriguez is the third Republican to enter the race in the 8th District, which includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties. Also seeking the GOP nomination are Greg Jacobs of Mundelein and John Dawson of Barrington.

Although the crowd at the event was smaller than those at other recent campaign events in the suburbs, Rodriguez had a pair of heavy hitters near her side: Republican state Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr. and former state Sen. William Peterson of Long Grove.

Rodriguez said she'll team with Sullivan and Peterson's successor, state Sen. Dan Duffy of Lake Barrington, for a town-hall discussion about health care reform later this month at an undetermined location.

"I want to start listening right now," Rodriguez said.

The health care fight has been this summer's most politically explosive issue, with congressmen from both parties coming under fire in their districts.

Bean has resisted the call to host a public discussion on health care, inaction that has prompted public criticism.

The 8th District was solidly Republican until Bean defeated longtime Congressman Phil Crane in 2004. Bean won re-election in 2006 and 2008.

Some political pundits and analysts feel the national frustration over President Obama's health care plans could help Republicans gain seats in the House. And since the 2010 election is a mid-term contest, a situation that often leads to a president's party losing seats in Congress, Bean's once-solid footing could be shaky.

"With the right candidate and the right set of issues, I think there's vulnerability there," said Kent Redfield, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Redfield predicted the 8th District race will receive national attention from both parties. But he wondered if Democrats will focus their energy and money into wresting the neighboring 10th District seat from the GOP now that Mark Kirk is running for the Senate, or if they'll spread cash around to help Bean and other suburban Democratic incumbents keep their jobs.

"If I were Bean, I would be raising money and putting the organization together and being very cautious," Redfield said.

A Bean spokesman declined to comment.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Audio</h2> <ul class="audio"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=50">Maria Rodriguez announces her bid for the 8th Dist. </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>