Glen Ellyn School Board President John Vivoda has spent years watching as money dictated the terms of the 6th Congressional race. Reflecting on his decision not to enter the Republican primary in 2000 for the Congressional 6th, in which incumbent Henry Hyde again won, Vivoda said at the time he didn’t enter the race because “I didn’t have a quarter of a million dollars in my account.” He also believed that “a poor middle class shrub like me doesn’t have a chance.”
Since then some things have changed - and others have not.
Today the Chicago Tribune is reporting that Vivoda is collecting signatures and planning to enter the GOP primary for the Congressional 6th District (see key passages with commentary at Damned Liberals).
John Vivoda believes the GOP party establishment choice, Peter Roskam is both too partisan and too conservative for the district, and “way, way outside of what I think the district needs.” He is running because “[t]here should be some choice, some contest on the Republican side rather than an anointing by all the same cast of characters.” These reasons sound similar to those Vivoda had when he was considering a run against current (retiring) incumbent Henry Hyde, who has held the seat since 1974, but Peter Roskam is running even further to the right of Hyde, representing a more reactionary choice for the 6th District. And the country has changed.
The real difference in this race, however, is that John Vivoda has decided to make a difference. As before he is not likely to raise nearly as much money as the GOP establishment candidate (Peter Roskam had $681,451 as of September 2005), but Vivoda is running. While he is building an organization outside of GOP establishment leaders like Patrick Durante (Addison Township GOP Chair, Hyde aide and former Hyde District Director), Vivoda is not likely to have much of a chance of winning this time around, but Vivoda is running. John Vivoda has watched with dismay as the reactionary right has controlled his party, damaging the country in foreign war and domestic policy. He has decided to offer District 6th Republican voters a choice, between moving further to the right, or sending a more moderate voice to represent them in congress. Democratic choice is an important ideal to uphold. For that choice, voters in the 6th Congressional District owe John Vivoda their thanks. We all do.
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