4 Chicago Tribune|Section 1|Monday, February 24, 2020
perspective. We lost this seat because people
were tired. People are tired of the same
candidates and the more that we continue to
run these candidates that aren’t bringing new
energy or aren’t growing the base, the more
we’re going to lose,” Lauf said.
Lauf, the youngest candidate in the primary,
said Republicans need to counter the youthful
energy of Underwood, who is 33.
“She really embodied everything that the
Democrats look for in the future. And unless
our party starts competing with that, bringing
new people, bringing younger faces, bringing
people who are going to be lions up, we’re going
to continue to lose,” Lauf said.
Lauf cited none of her rivals by name, but her
pitch appeared most directly aimed at the other
state senator in the race, Jim Oberweis, 73, of
Sugar Grove. Elected to the state legislature in
2013, Oberweis made unsuccessful bids for the
U.S. Senate in 2002, 2004 and 2014, for
governor in 2006 and the 14th Congressional
District seat in 2008.
A wealthy financial adviser and owner of the
family’s namesake dairy, Oberweis contends his
legislative tenure in Springfield helps round out
the life experience needed to serve in Washing-
ton.
“I’ve spent my entire life starting and
building businesses,” Oberweis said. “I believe
I’m uniquely qualified to understand what it
takes to motivate entrepreneurs to provide
their time, their energy, their motivation and
their financial resources to start and grow
businesses and create jobs and opportunities
for people.”
All seven candidates tout their support for
Trump and his tax cuts.
“What we have to understand is the rich are
the ones who produce the wealth of the
country and the commerce of the country and
they give people jobs. Rich man gives poor man
a job. Poor man can’t give a rich man a job,” said
Anthony Catella, a GOP precinct committee-
man in St. Charles and a part-time employee at
an Army surplus store.
The candidates agree that Trump shouldn’t
have been impeached by House Democrats.
And they oppose the Affordable Care Act,
known as Obamacare, though they offer few
specific prescriptions to replace it aside from
advocating the need to protect preexisting
medical conditions as part of a free-market
solution to health care.
“Many of the solutions, the free-market
solutions, are what I would champion,” said
Ted Gradel, 55, of Naperville, a self-employed
investor making his first bid for public office.
“Does anybody want the federal government
running 20% of our economy? Do we want the
bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., controlling
our entire health care system? Because that will
lead to a lower caliber of care, higher taxes,
rationing, (longer) wait times and worse patient
outcomes,” he said.
Taking a similar view is James Marter, 57, a
software business consultant from Oswego
who pledged to join the House GOP’s conserva-
tive Freedom Caucus, an offshoot of the tea
party movement.
“There’s nobody on our side of the aisle, on
this side of the table, or the other side that can
come up with a government plan to make
health care affordable. It’s about the market,
folks,” said Marter, a former Kendall County
Republican chairman who made previous
unsuccessful bids for federal office in 2016 and
2018.
Lauf said there has to be a bipartisan solution
on health care.
“Republicans don’t have an answer. But we
need to focus on coming together and getting
one very quickly,” she said.
Rezin warned that unless “both parties, our
party,” figures out a way to make health care
more affordable and accessible, “the middle
class will never be allowed to increase, to grow.”
Through running for Congress, the candi-
dates are quick to criticize Democratic-con-
trolled Illinois’ taxes and fees, as well as Gov.
J.B. Pritzker’s push for a graduated-rate income
tax that would take more from higher earners.
“I’m ashamed what the state legislature and
the governor have done to the state of Illinois,”
Oberweis said. “When I grew up, I was very
proud to say I was from Illinois. Now, it’s not
quite as proud, quite frankly.”
Though they decried high local property
taxes, which are not dictated by policy from
Washington, only one candidate mentioned a
federal move that hurt the state — a provision of
the tax cut package that capped the deduction
for state and local taxes from federal income
taxes.
The move disadvantaged high property-tax
states such as Illinois and was one factor in the
defeat of another veteran Republican in 2018,
Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton, who played a
lead role in the tax cut package despite
representing several communities with high
real estate taxes.
“I was not the biggest fan on the cap on state
and local taxes in terms of deductions,” said
Jerry Evans of Wheaton, a first-time candidate
who runs a music school and invests in real
estate.
“Obviously there’s limitations on what I
would do if I was working in Congress
(affecting) the state level,” he said. “But I would
continue to fight for fiscal responsibility in
Washington.”
Oberweis’ campaign has the most cash in the
Republican field. He raised nearly $1.5 million
in the election cycle, including $1 million in
personal loans to his campaign, and reported
just over $1 million available in cash at the start
of the year.
Gradel raised more than $838,000, including
$230,000 in personal loans and started the year
with nearly $650,000. Rezin raised almost
$463,000, including $200,000 in personal
loans, and had nearly $330,000 to begin 2020.
Lauf raised more than $170,000 and had
$31,700 in cash on hand Jan. 1.
Marter raised $51,255, including nearly
$15,000 in loans plus another $3,400 in direct
contributions and had $10,248 to start the year.
Evans raised $45,442 and had more than
$18,000 in cash on Jan. 1. And Catella gave
himself $912, spent it all, and reported no
money to start the year.[email protected]District
Continued fromPage 1
Anthony CatellaJerry EvansJim OberweisCatalina LaufSue RezinTed GradelJim MarterLauren UnderwoodUnderwood pins U.S. Navy veteran Ronald Guntherduring a ceremony in November.
CAMILLE FINE/CHICAGO TRIBUNERep. Lauren Underwood speaks at a news conference with Sen. Tammy Duckworth, right, in August.
TERRENCE ANTONIO JAMES/CHICAGO TRIBUNEREPUBLICANS
Sue Rezin
Age: 56
Occupation:Co-owner and manager of fam-
ily commercial real estate firm.
Political background: Illinois state senator
since 2010.
Quote:“Democrats in control under House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi have self-styled them-
selves as ‘the resistance’ focusing on endless
partisan investigations of the Trump adminis-
tration at the expense of results for the people
they were elected to serve.”
Website: rezinforcongress.comCatalina Lauf
Age: 26
Occupation: Consultant for father’s technol-
ogy business.
Political background: Adviser, U.S. Depart-
ment of Commerce, 2018-2019.
Quote: “Today, angry voices seek to divide us
by skin color, economic class and where we
come from. They use envy and bitterness
trying to convince us to surrender our person-
al freedoms for the false promise of socialism.”
Website:www.catalinaforcongress.comJim Oberweis
Age: 73
Occupation:Investment manager, chairman
Oberweis Dairy.
Political background: Illinois state senator
since 2013. Unsuccessful bids for the U.S.
Senate in 2002, 2004 and 2014, governor in
2006 and the 14th Congressional District in
2008
Quote: “As a country, we must decide how
many immigrants we want to accept per year
and whether those should be merit based.
Then we need to enforce that law. If we allow
people to enter our country illegally, then we
are pushing them to the head of the line for
new immigrants and penalizing those who are
attempting to join our country legally. That is
not fair.”
Website:jim2020.comTed Gradel
Age: 55
Occupation:Self-employed investor.
Political background: First run for public
office.
Quote: “I have spent my career in the private
sector. The more I take a deeper look at the
state of our country the more I see that the
free market system that rewards ingenuity and
work ethic is under assault. I’m running for
Congress to defend our freedom and speak out
against the false promise of socialism and a
‘Big Government’ agenda.”
Website:tedgradel.comJerry Evans
Age: 35
Occupation:Founder and director, Jerry
Evans School of Music; real estate investor.
Political background:First run for public
office.
Quote:“I may not be a politician, but I think
Congress desperately needs more of the busi-
ness-minded and common sense problem
solving that President Trump has brought to
the White House.”
Website:www.jerryforcongress.comAnthony Catella
Age: 49
Occupation: Part-time employee at Army
surplus store
Political background: St. Charles Republican
precinct committeeman; College intern for
former state Rep. Art Tenhouse of Quincy.
Quote: “I am a Republican because I believe
in the principles and ideals of faith and free-
dom, capitalism, wise frugal limited govern-
ment, maximum liberty based upon justice
under law, a strong economy and a strong
military defense.”
Website:catellaforcongress.comJim Marter
Age: 57
Occupation:Software business consultant
Political background: Former Kendall
County Republican chairman; defeated twice
for federal office in 2016 and 2018.
Quote: “This district is a swing district now
and we can take it back for America! Our race
can set the tone for electing America loving
patriots who will secure the border and build
the wall.”
Website:marter4congress.usDEMOCRATIC INCUMBENT
Lauren Underwood
Age: 33
Occupation: Member of Congress, former
nurse.
Political background:Senior adviser at the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Serv-
ices in the Obama administration, elected to
House in 2016.
Quote:“In order for the economy to work for
all of our families, we need a broad approach
to job creation. We need to invest in small
businesses; we need to stop the layoffs; we
need to embrace the freelance and gig econo-
my; we need to incentivize employers to hire
out-of-work or underemployed individuals;
and we need to invest in new and emerging
sectors that can generate jobs for the 21st
century.”
Website:www.underwoodforcongress.com