Dan Lipinski, incumbent
Party: Democrat
Age: 40
Campaign Headquarters/Contact: 5838 South Archer Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60638. Phone: 773-767-7019. Website: www.danlipinskiforcongress.com. Email: Lipinski2006
Profession: Member of United States House of Representatives, Illinois’ 3rd District
Education: St. Ignatius College Prep; Northwestern University (BS, Mechanical Engineering); Stanford University (MS, Engineering-Economic Systems); Duke University (PhD, Political Science).
Experience: Legislative staff, Congressman George Sangmeister, Illinois, 1993, Congressman Jerry Costello, Illinois, 1995, Congressman Rod Blagojevich, Illinois, 1999-2000; adjunct professor, Dept of Political Science, James Madison University Washington Program, 2000; visiting assistant professor, Dept of Political Science, University of Notre Dame 2000-2001; assistant professor, Dept of Political Science, University of Tennessee 2001-Present; member of United States House of Representatives, Illinois’ 3rd District, 2004-Present.
Top Three Issues: 1) Lipinski hopes to strengthen retirement security. He opposes the president’s plan to privatize Social Security. He is a co-sponsor of the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act, which is designed to make the current Medicare Prescription Drug Program less confusing and less expensive. 2) Lipinski is concerned with the increasing financial insecurity of families, which he believes to be caused by the skyrocketing costs of products and services that are essential to daily life (i.e. health care and energy). He supports research for alternative fuels; he combats companies shown to practice price gouging in gasoline sales; and he sponsored legislation requiring hospitals to disclose the prices they charge, which he believes will force hospitals to compete while providing families with more health care choices. 3) Lipinski is determined to combat traffic congestion while improving the local infrastructure. He secured $100 million for the CREATE rail program, enacted to improve Metra service by building road underpasses at railroad crossings.
Ray Wardingley, challenger
Party: Republican
Age: 70
Campaign Headquarters/Contact: 11012 S. Hoyne Ave., Chicago, Ill., 60643. Phone: 773-238-4028. Website: www.raywardingley.com. Email: raywardingley99
Profession: Retired entertainer and actor
Education: Mendel Catholic High School, 1954; Chicago Vocation School, 1959; Goodman Theater, 1962.
Experience: AF3, United States Air Force, 1955-57 (Disabled Veteran); Manager, Neighborhood Watch of Beverly-Morgan Park, 1989-95; candidate, Republican Comitteeman, 1995; Republican nominee, mayor of Chicago, 1995; Republican nominee, alderman, 19th Ward, 1999; co-founder, C.R.O.S.S., 2003; Republican nominee, U.S. Congress, 1st District, 2004.
Top Three Issues: 1) Wardingley hopes to aggressively stop the closing of veteran hospitals and care facilities in not only the 3rd District, but in all of Illinois. 2) He wants to reverse the population decline in the 3rd District by promoting pro-business measures. 3) He would support a voucher and tax credit system to keep private Catholic schools open, and make education more accessible and affordable to the middle class majority living in the 3rd District.
