IL-03: John Atkinson gearing up for challenge to Dan Lipinski

Congressman Dan Lipinski is a Democrat who tends to forget that fact. He was the only Illinois Democrat to vote against the health care reform bill. He also co-sponsored the "No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act," a bill "that would only allow pregnant women to obtain insurance coverage for an abortion if they were the victims of a so-called 'forcible rape,' rather than other criminal sexual act[s]."

Needless to say, Lipinski's predilection for acting more like John Boehner's errand boy than a member of the Democratic caucus has had Democrats in Illinois seething for quite a while now as they yearned for a viable primary challenger. Enter John Atkinson. Progress Illinois has the details:

John Atkinson, an executive at Willis Group and an outspoken health care activist, is raising eyebrows with a hefty fundraising haul, and the moves of someone who will take on the heir of a Southwest Side political dynasty.

Recent campaign finance filings show that Atkinson has raised $530,000 in the first quarter of the year ($270,000 of which was donated by Atkinson), more than four times that of Lipinski.

Atkinson is known for his activism on health care reform, from taking out full page ads calling out Lipinski on his vote against reform to launching an online advocacy campaign:

?Health care is a threshold issue for me,? said Atkinson, who with his wife launched a website, stoptherepeal.com, earlier this year aimed at combating the House GOP offensive against the health care bill and which drew 24,000 signatures. Lipinski?s health care vote, he said, ?caused me to open my eyes a little bit.?

Obama won the district with 64% of the vote in 2008. We'll see how the map looks after redistricting, but the climate is ripe for a progressive challenge to Lipinski. The buzz on the ground is that Atkinson is already assembling the type of top-level staff necessary to mount a serious challenge.

In his last primary contest, Lipinski beat out three challengers to win 54% of the vote. Lipinski is a seasoned campaigner with some influential backing. But with Atkinson's fundraising haul and his aggressive posture thus far, it looks like he may be just the candidate to take on Lipinski and finally hold him accountable for his votes.

Source: http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/ZmSAIwBxa04/-IL-03:-John-Atkinson-gearing-up-for-challenge-to-Dan-Lipinski

nigerian political news politics in the news political articles recent political news articles