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WASHINGTON (CBS) — National Democrats are putting a circle around Illinois as one of the key states that could tip the scales, and allow the Democrats to regain control of the House of Representatives.
As WBBM Newsradio’s Bernie Tafoya reports, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says it sees five Illinois congressional districts that stand a good chance for going from Republican hands to Democratic ones.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Bernie Tafoya reports
At the head of that list is the 8th Congressional District in the north and northwest suburbs, where Tea Party Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) will face Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth.
Duckworth, the former director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, defeated former Illinois Deputy Treasurer Raja Krishnamoorthi in the primary Tuesday. Afterward, the DCCC wasted no time in attacking Walsh, playing up his well-known scandal involving unpaid child support, and criticizing his policies as bad for Illinois middle class families.
The DCCC called Walsh out on some of his most colorful quotes, including an occasion in November when he told a crowd in Gurnee: “Don’t blame banks and don’t blame the marketplace for the mess we’re in right now. I am tired of hearing that crap.” The committee also cited a quote from an interview Walsh gave to CBS News, in which he said, “So, if we need a jolt, if we need the government to shut down for a few days for us to really get serious, I think the American people are with that.”
Walsh has also challenged Duckworrth to a series of debates, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Coming in second on the list is the 10th Congressional District on the North Shore – U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)’s old House District, where financial consultant Brad Schneider is seeking to win the seat for the Democrats by defeating freshman Rep. Robert Dold (R-Ill.), the Sun-Times reported.
Also on the list is the 17th Congressional District in northwest Illinois, where working mom Cheri Bustos is set to take on pizza restaurant owner and freshman Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.), the Sun-Times reported.
The Sun-Times quotes DCCC chairman Steve Israel as saying, “The road to the majority goes through Illinois.”
Democrats need to pick up 25 seats nationwide to retake the House.
