Michael Flynn is running for the 18th CD in a special election to fill Aaron Schock's seat
QUINCY - State Senator Darin LaHood's campaign for the 18th Congressional seat special election isn't willing to share any polling thus far, but the senator isn't walking into fill former Congressman Aaron Schock's empty seat without a challenge.
Dave Victor, known as "Quincy Pundit," says his main complaint with LaHood is that the incumbent senator was too ready to run when Schock stepped down.
"The boys in DC are trying to shove him down our throats. The only reason they would do that is that they have determined they can control him," Victor said in an email with Illinois Review. "In an R+12 district we don't need another back bench, Boehner boy. I don't like career politicians. They have not served us well."
Victor has determined that instead of following the recommendations of statewide conservative groups like the Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Illinois Family Institute and Paul Caprio's Family PAC, he's backing another candidate in the three-way Republican Primary on July 7th - Michael Flynn.
Flynn, a native of Quincy, has been an editor and writer for Breitbart News Network for several years. Along with Victor's backing, Flynn has been endorsed by Citizens United, as well as nationally-known conservative columnists such as John Fund and Erick Erickson.
Flynn is unhappy with LaHood's affiliation with a pro-union Republican Lunch Pail Caucus and with longtime GOP insiders that have pushed LaHood towards filling Schock's seat.
"What both Washington and Springfield need is bold leaders prepared to implement conservative reforms including those advocated by Gov. Rauner that will improve the lives of everyday Americans, not divided government that cuts bad deals that benefit politically-connected insiders to the detriment of ordinary Americans in places like Peoria and Quincy," Flynn said about the election.
On the other hand, downstate conservatives are concerned that Flynn shies away from traditional conservative values.
In a 2008 Reason.com story, Flynn criticized key social planks in the GOP national platform.
"Taking a hike through the GOP platform, there is a lot to like, e.g personal retirement accounts, school choice, a moratorium on earmarks. And a lot to dislike, e.g. protecting traditional marriage, continuation of the drug war, mandating employers use a federal database to check immigration status of job applicants.” Flynn said in Reason.com.
And Flynn leaned Libertarian on the marriage issue in another Breitbart piece in July 2012.
"Personally, I’m rabidly agnostic on the issue of gay marriage. Marriage is just something I don’t think the government has much business mucking about it in. I think eventually there will be fairly wide recognition of gay marriage, but that time is not now," he said.
But for voters like Dave Victor, it's about letting the people choose.
"I haven't seen any polls. I know LaHood has polled in the last couple weeks. He has not released the numbers," Victor said. "That tells me they aren't that good for a guy who should walk in with all the resources he has."
"We may just have a race," Victor said. "Which is why they invented primaries."
Three are running in the GOP primary - Darin LaHood, Mike Flynn and Donald Rients. Rob Mellon and Adam Lopez are running in the Democrats' special primary.
The special general election is September 10.
