Friday, December 28, 2012
Patch contacted 10 newly elected representatives to find out what they plan to do to help curb gun violence in our country in the wake of the December 14 mass killing in Newtown, CT. Those who actually wanted to discuss the issue say it's time for a chang
When members of the 113th Congress take their seats in January, one of the top items on their agenda very well could be a new look at federal gun control laws. In the wake of the Dec. 14 Newtown, CT tragedy, President Obama last week set a January deadline for his administration to "create concrete proposals" to curb gun violence in the United States. Obama also called on Congress to reinstate an assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 to "pursue the possibility of limiting high-capacity ammunition clips" and to "close a gun show loophole that allows people to purchase firearms from private dealers without a background check." What will come of this renewed debate is yet to be seen, but what is certain is that congressional compromise …
Saturday, November 10, 2012
U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush hung on to his 1st Congressional District seat for another two years, but did his new constituents south and southwest of city get behind him in the election?
Democrat Bobby Rush will continue to serve as the 1st Congressional Representative, even after redistricting included more municipalities further from Chicago. But most of the townships where his new constituents live did not vote for him. Don Peloquin, the mayor of Blue Island who ran against Rush as a Republican, won all but two of the suburban Cook County and Will County townships, including many of the new areas now included in the 1st District. Only Calumet and Thornton townships placed more votes for Rush in suburban Cook County and Will County. Chicago precincts were a different story, with Rush receiving 181,032 votes compared to 6,574 votes for Peloquin. Here are the vote counts from suburban Cook and Will counties, and by …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Within the redrawn 1st Congressional District, Bobby Rush will keep his seat for two more years as suburban voters weren't enough to propel Don Peloquin to a win.
Bobby Rush will continue to represent the 1st Congressional District of Illinois on Capitol Hill after winning his 11th term Tuesday. As of 10:40 p.m. Tuesday, Rush took in 212,661 votes, compared to 70,903 votes for challenger Don Peloquin, who campaigned as the Republican nominee for the seat. The count was with 582 of 617 precincts reporting from Suburban Cook County, Will County and Chicago. The new 1st Congressional District now holds a northeast boundary just around Chicago’s Bronzeville community, continuing near the Dan Ryan and along I-57, before cutting west, including towns south of I-80, before ending at rural Elwood at its farthest southwest point. The district includes Chicago neighborhoods, such as Hyde Park, Washington Park…
Friday, November 2, 2012
Blue Island Mayor Don Peloquin, who is the Republican candidate in the 1st Congressional District Race against incumbent Democrat Bobby Rush, shared his views on ways to simplify taxes and bolster local business.
Don Peloquin, Blue Island mayor and Republican candidate for the 1st Congressional District, believes the redrawn district can build off of the resources already here to grow the local economy. He is for smaller government and a simplified tax code for all Americans. Democrat incumbent Bobby Rush, Peloquin's opponent in the race, has not answered Patch's request for an interview. Read more about Peloquin's views on several issues including health care, the economy and others in our Patch Questionnaire. Read Rush's answers to our questionnaire. Looking for other 1st District race stories?
Friday, October 19, 2012
Mayor Ed Zabrocki, as well as the heads of Frankfort and Mokena, are endorsing 1st Congressional District GOP candidate Don Peloquin. The Blue Island mayor faces Democrat Bobby Rush in November's election.
Three south suburban mayors have vocally put their support behind Blue Island Mayor Don Peloquin, the Republican candidate for what will be the new 1st Congressional District after the Nov. 6 election. Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland and Mokena Mayor Joe Werner have recorded robo calls expressing their support for Peloquin that have been sent within their towns. Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki is scheduled to do the same. READ: Tribune Tells You Who to Vote For in State Senate Races All three cited familiarity with Peloquin’s efforts in Blue Island during his 27 years as mayor, and as an area funeral home director, as main reasons for supporting him. “Don has been mayor almost as long as me,” Zabrocki said. “I have had the opportunity to work …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Should the South Side congressman, who was removed from the House floor for donning a hoodie as he spoke in protest of racial profiling, have been cut some slack? Take our poll.
The nation is talking about South Side Congressman Bobby Rush, who donned a hoodie on the floor of the U.S. House Wednesday morning as he talked about racial profiling and the death of Trayvon Martin in Florida. He was escorted off the floor by the sergeant at arms for violating the House dress code that prohibits headwear. In the Washington Post, Trayvon Martin’s parents said they were moved by Rush's actions. They met with him Tuesday to discuss their son’s case, but had no idea he was going to don a hoodie and speak about the case from the floor of the House. “I’d like to commend Congressman Rush for pleading our case,” said Tracy Martin, the father of Trayvon Martin. When they were shown a videotape of Rush’s speech after the meeting, …
U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of the 1st Congressional District wore the hooded sweatshirt to protest the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Rep. Bobby Rush was asked to leave the House floor Wednesday morning after he donned a gray hoodie and sunglasses to protest the killing of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. Rush was addressing the issue Wednesday morning when he took off his suit jacket, as shown in the clip above. "Just because someone wears a hoodie, does not make them a hoodlum," Rush said. Presiding officer Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) cut off Rush several times and asked the sergeant at arms to enforce the House's chamber dress code, The Huffington Post reports. Rush then left the chamber. Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot and killed while walking unarmed through a Sanford, Fla. neighborhood on Feb. 26. His shooter, George Zimmerman, says he shot Maritn in self-defense. Zimmerman…
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Don Peloquin may have taken in more votes in the suburbs during last week’s primary election, but that number didn’t come close to what Bobby Rush pulled within Chicago city limits.
The 1st Congressional District covers an almost comically diverse landscape. Starting on the north end at 26th Street and Michigan Avenue, down Martin Luther King Drive to the Dan Ryan at the Skyway and further south, including neighborhoods just east and west of the highway. But the new district then continues down I-57, stretching past Harlem Avenue to LaGrange Road, continuing south and west to Highway 53, all the way to the 2,300-population town of Elwood. All residents in this area will have their interests represented in Congress by either Democrat Incumbent 1st District Rep. Bobby Rush or Republican Blue Island Mayor Don Peloquin. Rush handily won far more votes in Chicago alone with 55,196 votes to Peloquin’s 599 as of Tuesday. But…
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The longtime Republican Blue Island mayor will challenge the nearly-just-as-longtime Democrat congressman for one of the most disparate congressional districts in Illinois.
Bobby Rush and Don Peloquin will be the two choices for the broad array of Illinois residents living among the new 1st Congressional District. The two will be vying for a territory that stretches from the inner-city through blue-collar suburbs out to the conservative suburbs and into rural Will County. The district starts just north of Chicago's Bronzeville community and extends out to Beverly and into several towns west of I-57, such as Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn, Palos Heights, Alsip, Blue Island, Oak Forest, Midlothian and through Tinley Park, Orland Park, Orland Hills, Mokena, New Lenox, Frankfort and several other towns before hitting a rural southwest boundary in Elwood. Peloquin, 61, has served as Blue Island mayor since 1985 after …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
We've gathered up all the questions that have gone unanswered by local election candidates who were asked to fill out our Patch questionnaires. We're also including a list of those who never responded to us in the first place.
While perusing responses from our 2012 primary election candidates, we noticed that some didn't do as we asked — address every issue we presented to them in our uniform questionnaires. Here's a roundup of those questions, along with a list of candidates who didn't care to respond to us at all. Democratic candidate Bobby Rush didn't answer the following question: Have you ever been convicted of a felony, sued successfully or had a restraining order placed against you? If so, please explain. Republican candidate Donald E. Peloquin left these blank: Should there be repercussions for legislators who don’t read bills, and how do you enforce that? and Who are your political heroes and why? Democratic candidate Gregory Hannon left the following …
james
2:50 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
Finally,someoone that knows what we have AR's for, Thanks jj bean,you're right I'm afraid most will run away and hide when the infringing starts! more ›