10th District Voters Will Decide The Latest Rematch Between Dold, Schneider
(CBS) – For the third election in a row, voters in the 10th Congressional District in the northern suburbs will choose between Republican incumbent Bob Dold and Brad Schneider, the Democrat who once held the seat.
CBS 2's Vince Gerasole takes a look at this year's race – one of the tightest contests in the country.
On Monday, Schneider greeted the lunchtime crowd in Highland Park.
"We are expecting a tight race, which is why we are out knocking on doors, making phone calls, talking to people," he said.
Beside a long and patient line of early voters, Dold campaigned in Gurnee.
"We have made over 600,000 phone calls, knocked on over 200,000 doors," he said.
If you think you've seen this match up before, you have. This is the candidates' third faceoff in the relatively wealthy and educated 10th Congressional District.
Dold won the seat in 2010, lost a redistricted 10th to Schneider in 2012, then won it back in 2014. All were close calls.
"I believe we need to come together in a bipartisan way as a bridge builder," Dold says.
Says Schneider: "I am willing to work with anybody – Republican, Democrat -- as long as they come to the table with an open mind."
Both candidates are politically moderate, and so is the majority of the far north suburban district. It could go either way, which gets it national attention.
President Obama has even appeared in campaign ads for Schneider to win back the district.
In his ads, Dold has played up his independence. He was among the first Republicans to refuse to endorse GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, and skipped the party's convention.
While Schneider could benefit from Democrat Hillary Clinton's strong Illinois support, Dold knows voters here aren't afraid to split their vote, making this third race a likely nail-biter late into the evening.
It's estimated those two candidates spent more than $50 million in the past three matchups in the 10th District.
