Mark Pera to Rally the Troops Today

By Kevin Robinson in News on Jan 23, 2008 3:00PM

Head to Daley Plaza this morning at 10:30 a.m. for a quick early voting rally for Mark Pera. Pera, the assistant Cook County State's Attorney who is running against Dan Lipinski for the 3rd Congressional District seat, is the first serious candidate to challenge Lipinski since he went to congress in 2004. Pera's campaign has attracted a lot of attention, both online and in the district. Online support has helped helped fund his campaign, but anger in the district at how the elder Lipinski handed his seat to his son has fueled the viability of his candidacy. Still, he's running against the full force and weight of Chicago's entrenched Democratic Machine.

Pera likes to call Lipinski a "Bush Dog Democrat", a congressman who supports President Bush on a number of core issues during key votes. Dan Lipinski's voting record certainly supports that allegation: he's opposed stem cell research, a woman's right to choose, and he voted in favor of warrantless wiretapping. He's supported all but the most recent Iraq War funding bill, and opposed creating a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. As Chicago continues to set records for early voting this year, making sure that his supporters get into the ballot booth will be critical if Pera is going to unseat Dan Lipinski.