Shimkus foe gets boost from scandal by Kurt Erickson
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Rep. John Shimkus' challenger says the scandal enveloping Republicans in Congress is giving his little-noticed campaign a boost. Democrat Danny Stover, a member of the Centralia City Council, said he's seen a significant increase in the number of visits to his campaign Web site, and he has seen a jump in campaign contributions in the six days since former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, resigned from Congress.
Shimkus is chairman of the House panel that oversees the congressional page program, which is at the center of the political firestorm that erupted in Washington, D.C., last week.
The Collinsville Republican has said he investigated suggestive e-mails Foley sent to a 16-year-old page in 2005 and called on Foley to stop contacting the page. But, the matter did not go further.
Stover, a self-described "dark horse" candidate, has pounced on the issue, hoping to draw attention to his bid to represent the 30 Central and Southern Illinois counties that make up the 19th Congressional District.
On Monday, he called on Shimkus to resign from the page committee. On Wednesday, at a news conference at the Illinois State Capitol, Stover called on House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Yorkville, to fire Shimkus as chairman of the panel.
Stover said the scandal could translate into financial help for his race from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which doles out millions of dollars in funding to Democratic candidates.
"We figured we were not on their radar screen before this came up," Stover said.
He said he's received about $1,000 per day in small contributions since Foley resigned, which is much higher than he was taking in prior to the scandal.
Nonetheless, Stover still remains at a financial disadvantage. He has an estimated $100,000 in his campaign war chest, compared to Shimkus' million dollar-plus account.
Shimkus spokesman Steve Tomaszewski did not immediately return a telephone message left at the congressman's Collinsville office.
Kurt Erickson can be reached at kurt.erickson@lee.net or 782-1249.
Copyright, 2006, Herald & Review, Decatur, IL
Shimkus is chairman of the House panel that oversees the congressional page program, which is at the center of the political firestorm that erupted in Washington, D.C., last week.
The Collinsville Republican has said he investigated suggestive e-mails Foley sent to a 16-year-old page in 2005 and called on Foley to stop contacting the page. But, the matter did not go further.
Stover, a self-described "dark horse" candidate, has pounced on the issue, hoping to draw attention to his bid to represent the 30 Central and Southern Illinois counties that make up the 19th Congressional District.
On Monday, he called on Shimkus to resign from the page committee. On Wednesday, at a news conference at the Illinois State Capitol, Stover called on House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Yorkville, to fire Shimkus as chairman of the panel.
Stover said the scandal could translate into financial help for his race from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which doles out millions of dollars in funding to Democratic candidates.
"We figured we were not on their radar screen before this came up," Stover said.
He said he's received about $1,000 per day in small contributions since Foley resigned, which is much higher than he was taking in prior to the scandal.
Nonetheless, Stover still remains at a financial disadvantage. He has an estimated $100,000 in his campaign war chest, compared to Shimkus' million dollar-plus account.
Shimkus spokesman Steve Tomaszewski did not immediately return a telephone message left at the congressman's Collinsville office.
Kurt Erickson can be reached at kurt.erickson@lee.net or 782-1249.
Copyright, 2006, Herald & Review, Decatur, IL
