The 2012 Democratic field in the new 10th congressional district may have an additional candidate, state Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills). Sente joined the state House on Sept. 12, 2009 (to finish former state Rep. Katy Ryg’s term), elected to a full term last November. Sente’s base would probably be the western part of the district, which on the east hugs northern suburbs on Lake Michigan.
Sente told me she will make a decision by this Friday–July 15.
Meanwhile, Democrat Brad Schneider is already running and building a fund-raising operation: When the second quarter reports come out in a few days, Schneider told me he will report $321,085.11 in contributions with $306,135.46 cash on hand.
Another Democrat, Ilya Sheyman -who came to the U.S. from the former Soviet Union–has also been in the Democratic primary for months: he has been touting his endorsement from Howard Dean, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and 2004 presidential candidate.
The current 10th district is represented by freshman Rep. Bob Dold (R-Ill.) who in 2010 beat Democrat Dan Seals for the open seat.
Dold–as all but one of the Illinois GOP House incumbents (exception is Rep. Tim Johnson (R-Ill.)) is not talking about what district he will run from under the new map. Dold’s best option seems to be to stay in the 10th.
Illinois Democrats remapped the state to force GOP incumbents to run against each other–or face running in their home turf in a district drained of Republican votes. Illinois Republicans will be filing a lawsuit in federal court to challenge the Democratic map.
