8th House GOP candidates vow to support Walsh

All five Republicans who lost the race for the suburban 8th House District are promising to support winner Joe Walsh in his bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Melissa Bean.

But two of them are doing so only after making strong, negative statements about Walsh during the primary battle.

Dirk Beveridge, the Barrington business owner and community activist who finished second on Election Day, said he pledged early in the campaign to back the eventual GOP nominee if he didn't win.

But just a few weeks ago, Beveridge said voters "deserve better than Walsh." At the time, Walsh had been sued by a former campaign manager over a salary dispute, and he had been confronted by an attorney for rocker Joe Walsh for using one of his melodies in a campaign video without permission.

"The only thing Joe Walsh can be a leader on is lawsuits, distortions, poor judgment, fiscal irresponsibility and drama," Beveridge told the Daily Herald in a Jan. 30 e-mail. "Should he be selected to face Bean and the Democratic machine, they will enjoy an easy romp and re-election."

This week, Beveridge said he wants to talk with Walsh about the concerns he raised during the campaign.

"Voters want honesty," Beveridge said. "I have pledged support, but we do have questions that we raised before the election, (and) I think Joe owes the voters of the 8th (answers)."

Another Republican who ran in the primary, Chris Geissler, questioned the integrity of Walsh's campaign last month and called for Walsh to withdraw from the race.

In a Jan. 21 news release that followed the lawsuit from Walsh's ex-manager, Geissler said Walsh "has little chance of beating our congresswoman in November."

This week, however, Geissler said he will support Walsh's campaign and "do whatever I can do to help him."

Geissler described his Jan. 21 comments as "jabs" between candidates. He compared the remarks to how siblings fight at the dinner table but remain part of a family.

He didn't distance himself from his assertion that the odds are against Walsh winning in November, however.

"I think he's got his work cut out for him," Geissler said.

Walsh isn't concerned about the comments Beveridge or Geissler made during the primary's waning weeks. He's glad to have their support now.

"I think that the primary did get pretty heated, and in the last month and a half we were all grasping at things," he said. "If you're going to enter this business, you've got to be able to turn the other cheek and move on. If I'm not willing to overlook what was said about me, then I'm not fit for this."

The other candidates in the GOP primary - Maria Rodriguez, John Dawson and Greg Jacobs - focused on their own strengths while campaigning rather than going negative about their opponents. All three said they would support Walsh between now and Nov. 2.

"The upcoming election in November is too important to be complacent," Jacobs said.

Dawson went as far as to put a note on his own campaign Web site urging his supporters to "work to elect Joe Walsh in November."

Rodriguez, the village president of Long Grove, voiced support for Walsh, but she wasn't exactly enthusiastic.

"I signed a pledge that I would support the (Republican) winner, and I will indeed do that," she said. "I will hold him to the same standard of integrity that I hold myself to."

Walsh said he plans to sit down individually with each of the other GOP candidates in the next few weeks to talk about moving forward.

"We all have to unify to be competitive with Melissa," Walsh said.

In addition to Bean, Walsh will face Green Party nominee Bill Scheurer in November.

The 8th District includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.