Walsh to Switch Districts, Avoid Primary Challenge

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 2, 2011 11:15PM

It looks like Congressman Joe Walsh will switch districts in 2012. Roll Call, citing GOP sources, was first to break the news earlier this week. GOP activist Jack Roeser confirmed to Sun-Times Washington correspondent Lynn Sweet that Walsh would run in the 8th Congressional District

The proposed congressional redistricting by Illinois Democrats currently has the 8th Congressional District representative's home in the 14th District of fellow GOP Congressman Randy Hultgren. Walsh has already indicated he would run for re-election this year, but wasn't sure which district to mount his campaign. Staying in the 14th would mean a primary battle with Hultgren, who has already had polls conducted to measure the effect of Walsh's ongoing dispute over alleged outstanding child support payments on voters.

Switching to the 8th District sets Walsh up in a battle with the winner of the Democratic primary between Tammy Duckworth and Raja Krishnamoorthi. Sweet writes that Walsh hasn't made many friends in the Beltway among GOP leadership — imagine that — and would need help against the Democratic nominee, especially if that nominee is Duckworth, who's close to President Obama and Sen. Dick Durbin.

Regardless of whom Walsh may face, the 8th District race would shape up to be an expensive one and the Democratic nominee would have plenty of ammunition with which to attack him.