Current Blue Dog Democrats include, from left, Reps. Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Mike Thompson, D-Calif., Jim Costa, D-Calif., Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and Brad Schneider, D-Ill. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Brendan Kelly is running in a district in southern Illinois that went for Donald Trump by nearly 15 points in 2016, so his message shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“We see a system that is rigged for a powerful few,” he said in a voice full of gravel. He rails against “elites on the coasts” and understands why many are “frustrated” and “angry” over low-paying jobs and high health care costs.
First-time candidate Marie Newman, center, narrowly lost a primary to Rep. Dan Lipinski. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Outside groups that spent on either side of Tuesday’s close Democratic primary in Illinois’ 3rd District are feeling energized by the results as they look ahead to the midterms and beyond.
Seven-term Rep. Daniel Lipinski narrowly defeated first-time candidate Marie Newman on Tuesday in a race that only looked competitive in the final months of the campaign. He finished with 51 percent of the vote to Newman’s 49 percent.
Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., narrowly survived a primary challenge Tuesday night. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
The Illinois primaries are in the books, setting the stage for an important batch of congressional elections in November.
Assuming Democrat Conor Lamb is certified as the winner of the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th District, Democrats still need a net gain of 23 seats to win the House majority. That’s a wide enough gap that Democrats, instead of cherry-picking victories around the country, will look to score big in a handful of states. Illinois might be one of them.
Illinois Rep. Daniel Lipinski faced the toughest fight of his political career in this year’s 3rd District Democratic primary. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Seven-term Democratic Rep. Daniel Lipinski survived his most competitive political contest yet, defeating first-time candidate Marie Newman in Illinois’ 3rd District primary.
Lipinski led Newman 51 percent to 49 percent, with 97 percent of precincts reporting, when The Associated Press called the race for the incumbent early Wednesday morning.
Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan will face off against Republican Rep. Rodney Davis in Illinois’ 13th District. (Courtesy Betsy Dirksen Londrigan for Congress/YouTube)
Updated 3/21/18
Tuesday’s Democratic primaries in Illinois are setting the stage for general election match-ups in four Republican-held districts that Democrats are targeting in November.
Illinois Rep. Daniel Lipinski is facing a tough primary challenge on Tuesday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
In a state where Democrats are targeting four Republican-held seats in November and need viable candidates to make it through Tuesday’s primaries, the nominating contest in Illinois that’s receiving the most attention is in a safe Democratic district.
Rep. Daniel Lipinski, co-chairman of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, is facing the toughest contest of his seven-term congressional career with a primary challenge from marketing executive Marie Newman for his 3rd District seat.
Illinois’ congressional primaries are on Tuesday, March 20. Senior political reporter Simone Pathé walks you through the race for the state’s 3rd District, a match-up between longtime incumbent Rep. Daniel Lipinski — a centrist, pro-life Democrat — and Marie Newman, a progressive marketing consultant with the support of several liberal members of Congress, including Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign stage a sit-in at the Democratic National Convention in 2016. With the party’s progressive wing flexing its muscle in primaries, Democrats run the risk of nominating general election candidates far out of the mainstream, Winston writes. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
When a Democratic candidate picks up nomination papers, to quote Monty Python, “nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition” — that is until now. More and more, Democratic primary candidates are being treated to a litmus test that feels more grand inquisition than great debate.
A particular brand of progressivism rooted in the “Resistance” is growing in its distemper and disassociation with what these activists see as outdated, traditional Democratic ideology, further dividing their leaderless and, as they see it, increasingly aimless Democratic Party.
Rep. Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., faces a primary from his left against Democrat Marie Newman. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
As he faces a primary challenge for his positions on social issues in Illinois’ 3rd District, Rep. Dan Lipinski warned Democrats risked creating a left-wing tea party.
In an interview on 720 WGN AM, Lipinski said there is a “battle” for the meaning of the Democratic Party, the Chicago Tribune reported.
It’s about time that lawmakers reform Congress and the nation’s political system, Reps. Darin LaHood and Daniel Lipinski write. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
As members of Congress, we often hear from our constituents that Congress is just not working. Voters back home question how we can get things done, together, across party lines.
These concerns get reinforced when the government shuts down or Congress fails to complete its basic tasks, like writing a funding plan for federal programs on time.
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