Over the weekend, Peoria’s Journal Star joined the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Defender in endorsing Zopp over Duckworth.
The Journal Star’s Editorial Board lamented Duckworth’s absence on the campaign trail – going so far as to remind her that the title of the latest position she seeks is "senator of Illinois, all of Illinois":
"…Duckworth, too, has been a no-show in the Peoria area during this campaign with the exception of a Labor Day parade appearance last year. We’d just say that the job title is senator of Illinois, all of Illinois, and her absence in the Peoria area has been duly noted."
FLASHBACK:
- Crain’s Chicago Business: "Where, oh where, is Tammy Duckworth? … Duckworth has all but disappeared from the public stage in recent months even as one challenger, former Chicago Urban League President Andrea Zopp, hits the hustings hard…"
A senior staff writer for the Chicago Defender also hit the airwaves yesterday to discuss Tammy’s truancy:
"We have not seen Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, and we’ve reached out to her several times. We have not seen her really participate in any of the candidate forums that have taken place, which has been a lot over the course from January to now. And we have not seen a great deal other than her making some appearances on mainstream media. But that’s the thing that really is very important for us. And we’ve seen Andrea Zopp…She’s been there to answer those hard-hitting questions, whereas Congresswoman Duckworth has not been there in terms of what our needs are for our community."
Watch Mary Datcher, senior staff writer for the Chicago Defender, bash Tammy Duckworth on WGN-TV:
[youtube url = "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOl1KhjcXV8"]
"Given her award-winning ineffectiveness in Washington, along with her decision to skip key votes – from the Safe Water Drinking Act following the Flint water crisis to critical counter-terror legislation, the people of Illinois’ 8th district are all too familiar with the disappointment that stems from Tammy Duckworth’s truancy," said NRSC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek. "Luckily for Duckworth, her upcoming whistleblower trial at the Union County Courthouse will provide her with ample opportunities to finally make some appearances across the state."
In case you missed it, read the latest endorsement of Andrea Zopp over Tammy Duckworth:
Endorsement: U.S. Senate, Dems: Andrea Zopp
The Journal Star
Editorial
March 5, 2016
Three candidates from the Chicago area want the chance to become the Democratic Party’s nominee to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate. One stands out and has actually given some time and attention to this part of central Illinois.
Andrea Zopp, 59, of Chicago is an attorney with a wide-ranging public service background, her most recent contribution as president of the Chicago Urban League. Tammy Duckworth, 47, of Hoffman Estates, is an Iraq War veteran who has filled high-ranking posts at Veterans Affairs departments at state and federal levels and has represented Chicago’s northwest suburbs in the U.S. House for the last three years. Napoleon Harris, 37, of Flossmoor is a state senator serving Chicago’s south suburbs who’s run pizza franchises and previously played in the National Football League.
This race is really between Duckworth and Zopp. Harris did not respond to an invitation to interview or answer questions, and he has come off as ill-prepared at some public functions.
Duckworth first garnered national media attention after an Iraqi insurgent attack on her Army Black Hawk helicopter in 2004 cost her both legs. It’s no surprise that military and veterans’ issues dominate her agenda. She is pro-choice and pro-gun control. She’s a fiscal liberal, generally opposed to entitlement reforms beyond plays at the margins. She tilts toward labor and is not much of a free trader, of interest locally given that Peoria-based global manufacturer Caterpillar is one of the state’s largest employers. She does not get high marks from the American Farm Bureau — indeed, she was tied for lowest in the Illinois delegation in 2014.
All of that is pretty general, and we would have liked to probe her thoughts further, but Duckworth, too, has been a no-show in the Peoria area during this campaign with the exception of a Labor Day parade appearance last year. We’d just say that the job title is senator of Illinois, all of Illinois, and her absence in the Peoria area has been duly noted.
Zopp did come to Peoria with her sterling résumé in hand.
…
We urge local Democrats to not just fall in line and to give her a chance. Andrea Zopp is endorsed.