Schneider gets endorsement from union that backed Dold in 2012
The Illinois Education Association has changed horses and endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider in his re-election bid against former congressman Robert Dold.
The 130,000-member teachers union backed Dold, a Kenilworth Republican, two years ago when he lost to Schneider in a close race for the 10th District seat.
"I'm honored to have the endorsement of the Illinois Education Association," Schneider said in a news release. "In Congress, I've stood up for our teachers and fought attempts to gut critical education funding, like Pell Grants, that millions of students depend on."
When asked for comment, Dold spokeswoman Danielle Hagen declined to directly address the IEA's endorsement. Instead, Hagen criticized Schneider and said Dold received a 100-percent rating from the National Education Association, a different teachers union, in 2012 on issues it deemed important.
Schneider, of Deerfield, narrowly defeated Dold in November 2012.
Dold represented the 10th District from 2010-2012, succeeding Highland Park Republican Mark Kirk when Kirk was elected to the U.S. Senate.
In a news release, IEA President Cinda Klickna called Schneider "an outstanding advocate" for teachers.
"In Congress, Brad is standing up for our teachers by opposing drastic cuts to education funding, fighting attempts to weaken teachers' ability to organize and supporting efforts to expand preschool for our children."
In addition to the IEA, Schneider also has notched endorsements from groups including Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, the Human Rights Campaign and the League of Conservation Voters.
Dold has reported endorsements from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Lake County Farm Bureau.
Historically independent, the 10th District includes parts of Cook and Lake counties. It stretches from Lake Michigan into the North and Northwest suburbs.
Schneider won in 2012 by less than 1 percent of the total votes cast. He was the first Democrat to win the seat since the 1970s.
A Democratic early-voting surge helped push Schneider over the top, as did Democratic turnout for President Obama's re-election. Republican Party officials blamed Dold's loss on the then-new boundaries for the 10th District.
After the 2010 Census, the district was reshaped to include more traditionally Democratic areas than it previously contained.