Centralia's Stover considers himself a "viable candidate"
Centralia's Stover considers himself a 'viable candidate'
BY JIM MUIR, THE SOUTHERN
Danny Stover has always thought of himself as a "legitimate candidate" in his bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. John Shimkus in the 19th Congressional District, even in the days when money was tight and his phone wasn't ringing very often.But, with less than four weeks until voters head to the polls, Stover, a Centralia Democrat, now refers to himself as a "viable candidate" with a chance to pull a major upset in the Nov. 7 general election.
During a swing through Jackson County Thursday morning, Stover met with the editorial board of The Southern Illinoisan and discussed a myriad of topics ranging from abortion - he's pro-choice - to torture, "there's no place for it in the values of our nation," he says.
The remarkable turnaround in Stover's campaign began on Sept. 29 when ABC News broke a story involving U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, who abruptly quit Congress after the release of sexually explicit e-mail messages he allegedly sent to a male teenager serving as a House page.Shimkus, a Collinsville Republican and chairman of the committee that oversees the page program, has been involved in the fallout largely due to reports that Republican leaders were warned about Foley's involvement in the scandal more than three years ago.Shimkus denies those allegations and is steadfast that he handled the matter promptly and effectively based on the information he had at the time.
"The question that looms for everyone, is this just a failure to provide oversight in this situation or was there a cover up?" Stover said. "I truly do hope for the best because Americans have already lost too much faith in their government in the past few years. But, I fear the worst because there is plenty of evidence that suggests the worst."
A retired college professor, Stover said he finds it "regrettable" that it took a sex scandal to energize his campaign."I think I had a full and robust set of issues to campaign on before this happened," Stover said. "I am diametrically opposed to a lot of what Congressman Shimkus sponsored. But, I have to play with the hand I've been dealt. I'm going to insist that we talk about these other issues as well."
Stover admitted he has noticed a marked turnaround in campaign contributions, but still called his campaign fund "laughable" when compared to Shimkus' campaign war chest."We've averaged about $1,000 per day since the Foley story broke," Stover said. "That is still a far cry from the $2 million my opponent has gathered up through his influence on the House Commerce and Energy Committee. He (Shimkus) has taken lots and lots of contributions through oil and gas and pharmaceuticals and other entities that he is supposed to be regulating. I certainly think I could be more selective in who I took support from."
Stover said his campaign has generated approximately $200,000 but again pointed out that amount is 10 percent of the campaign funds Shimkus has to work with in his re-election bid.Stover reeled off a lengthy list of issues he and Shimkus are opposed on, including stem cell research, the war in Iraq and same-sex marriage. Stover says the federal government must move forward on stem cell research, calling it "an essential science.""If you or a member of your family suffer from type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury or Parkinson's then you also suffer from a President and a Republican Congress that has sacrificed health for political advantage based on right wing ideology," Stover said.Regarding the war in Iraq, Stover said he fully supports the troops but believes the excursion is based "on a lie" by President Bush. Stover said he believes the real reason behind the war is to enhance profits from corporations such as Halliburton that have benefited. When asked if he believes Bush would actually put the lives of American military personnel in harm's way to benefit businesses, Stover answered, "yes."
Stover said he is in favor of same-sex marriage based on his strong views about inclusion and tolerance."Never let someone else impose their values on your family," Stover said. "The stereotype of an American family is an attractive ideal but if you are a member of a single-parent family, a family of divorce, a blended family or a family of some diversity that deviates from the ideal, you are still an American family and just as legitimate as another family."
Stover said his Web site (www.stoverforcongress.com) has had more hits since the scandal broke two weeks ago than it did since he declared his candidacy more than a year ago."The attention that has been brought to my campaign money can't buy," Stover said.Stover has called on Shimkus to step down from his role as chairman of the page committee and said if he refuses House Speaker Dennis Hastert should remove him. He said both pleas have been ignored. He said he has also challenged Shimkus to a debate on the issues but that also has not drawn a response."I would never do anything to attack him (Shimkus) on a personal level, but I think the issues are fair game," Stover said. "He's broken his promise on term limits, he's broken his promise on Mark Foley and he let us down on the war. In other words I think he refuses to be accountable."
Stover said he has to "ride on the back of the scandal" to get his message out, and that's what he plans to do."There's a month to go and I think I'm going to win," Stover said.
BY JIM MUIR, THE SOUTHERN
Danny Stover has always thought of himself as a "legitimate candidate" in his bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. John Shimkus in the 19th Congressional District, even in the days when money was tight and his phone wasn't ringing very often.But, with less than four weeks until voters head to the polls, Stover, a Centralia Democrat, now refers to himself as a "viable candidate" with a chance to pull a major upset in the Nov. 7 general election.
During a swing through Jackson County Thursday morning, Stover met with the editorial board of The Southern Illinoisan and discussed a myriad of topics ranging from abortion - he's pro-choice - to torture, "there's no place for it in the values of our nation," he says.
The remarkable turnaround in Stover's campaign began on Sept. 29 when ABC News broke a story involving U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, who abruptly quit Congress after the release of sexually explicit e-mail messages he allegedly sent to a male teenager serving as a House page.Shimkus, a Collinsville Republican and chairman of the committee that oversees the page program, has been involved in the fallout largely due to reports that Republican leaders were warned about Foley's involvement in the scandal more than three years ago.Shimkus denies those allegations and is steadfast that he handled the matter promptly and effectively based on the information he had at the time.
"The question that looms for everyone, is this just a failure to provide oversight in this situation or was there a cover up?" Stover said. "I truly do hope for the best because Americans have already lost too much faith in their government in the past few years. But, I fear the worst because there is plenty of evidence that suggests the worst."
A retired college professor, Stover said he finds it "regrettable" that it took a sex scandal to energize his campaign."I think I had a full and robust set of issues to campaign on before this happened," Stover said. "I am diametrically opposed to a lot of what Congressman Shimkus sponsored. But, I have to play with the hand I've been dealt. I'm going to insist that we talk about these other issues as well."
Stover admitted he has noticed a marked turnaround in campaign contributions, but still called his campaign fund "laughable" when compared to Shimkus' campaign war chest."We've averaged about $1,000 per day since the Foley story broke," Stover said. "That is still a far cry from the $2 million my opponent has gathered up through his influence on the House Commerce and Energy Committee. He (Shimkus) has taken lots and lots of contributions through oil and gas and pharmaceuticals and other entities that he is supposed to be regulating. I certainly think I could be more selective in who I took support from."
Stover said his campaign has generated approximately $200,000 but again pointed out that amount is 10 percent of the campaign funds Shimkus has to work with in his re-election bid.Stover reeled off a lengthy list of issues he and Shimkus are opposed on, including stem cell research, the war in Iraq and same-sex marriage. Stover says the federal government must move forward on stem cell research, calling it "an essential science.""If you or a member of your family suffer from type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury or Parkinson's then you also suffer from a President and a Republican Congress that has sacrificed health for political advantage based on right wing ideology," Stover said.Regarding the war in Iraq, Stover said he fully supports the troops but believes the excursion is based "on a lie" by President Bush. Stover said he believes the real reason behind the war is to enhance profits from corporations such as Halliburton that have benefited. When asked if he believes Bush would actually put the lives of American military personnel in harm's way to benefit businesses, Stover answered, "yes."
Stover said he is in favor of same-sex marriage based on his strong views about inclusion and tolerance."Never let someone else impose their values on your family," Stover said. "The stereotype of an American family is an attractive ideal but if you are a member of a single-parent family, a family of divorce, a blended family or a family of some diversity that deviates from the ideal, you are still an American family and just as legitimate as another family."
Stover said his Web site (www.stoverforcongress.com) has had more hits since the scandal broke two weeks ago than it did since he declared his candidacy more than a year ago."The attention that has been brought to my campaign money can't buy," Stover said.Stover has called on Shimkus to step down from his role as chairman of the page committee and said if he refuses House Speaker Dennis Hastert should remove him. He said both pleas have been ignored. He said he has also challenged Shimkus to a debate on the issues but that also has not drawn a response."I would never do anything to attack him (Shimkus) on a personal level, but I think the issues are fair game," Stover said. "He's broken his promise on term limits, he's broken his promise on Mark Foley and he let us down on the war. In other words I think he refuses to be accountable."
Stover said he has to "ride on the back of the scandal" to get his message out, and that's what he plans to do."There's a month to go and I think I'm going to win," Stover said.
