From the Jim Dodge for Comptroller campaign…
Voters No Longer Putting Up With Business as Usual and that includes Topinka
Jim Dodge, Republican Candidate for Illinois Comptroller issued a statement today saying Senator-elect Brown’s Massachusetts victory along with the wins in New Jersey and Virginia explicitly show that voters no longer want “political insiders” or individuals who will conduct business as usual. And that includes Illinois voters who will be going to the polls for the February 2 primary. Dodge directly mentioned voter reaction to his opponent, three-time Treasurer and failed gubernatorial candidate, Judy Baar Topinka.
“The purpose of a primary is to elect candidates who have the best chance of winning the office in November,” said Dodge. “It is becoming clear that an insider like Judy Baar Topinka is not electable. In 2006, 62% of Republicans voted against her in the primary. Then she lost to a bad Elvis impersonator under federal investigation, getting fewer votes than Alan Keyes. If the Republican Party of Illinois is to have a future, we need to move forward not backward. We need candidates like myself who have the business qualifications necessary for the job of Comptroller along with political experience that is not tied into the corruption in Springfield.”
Dodge cited the quick turnaround in the Massachusetts election and how it illustrates that people are exercising their right to vote to make the much needed changes in government.
“Voters I hear from across the state are tired of being forced to accept financial insanity from Springfield. Many are unhappy with the $95 billion pension problem in our state. If they expect a state pension, they are worried it won’t be there. If they work in the private sector, they are simply stunned at how generous public pensions are and how badly underfunded they are. This will be a budget nightmare for decades to come caused by bad decision making by the political insiders. For example, they are unhappy with the pension problem in the state that is a major cause of our budget deficit. Ms. Topinka will only make that problem worse. She has a stake in increasing her pension and protecting the status quo, which is why she is the only Republican who received the AFSCME endorsement. That union knows she will not work to help rationally solve the pension problem.”
Dodge’s message of making a “clean break with the politics of the past” is hitting home with rank-and-file Republican organizations across the state. In head-to-head endorsement sessions, Dodge has won 15 to Topinka’s 2.
Dodge has served on the Orland Park Board of Trustees since 1989, serving as a village trustee since 1996. A Vice President at The Nielsen Company, Dodge was named to the Metra Board of Directors in 2004. An Illinois Army National Guard veteran, Dodge holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and received his Bachelor’s Degree from DePaul University. He and his wife, Linda, have two children. Further information about the Dodge campaign can be found at www.jimdodge2010.com.