BATAVIA, Ill. – In just a matter of weeks, a CUNA-backed candidate twice has lost a bid for a House seat–the same House seat that was vacated by long-time credit union supporter and ex-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.
CUNA first supported Republican State Sen. Chris Lauzen in this strong Republican district with a $5,000 contribution in the last month’s Republican primary, but Lauzen lost to dairy farmer Jim Oberweis. Then, CUNA backed Oberweis with a $5,000 campaign contribution–only to see the Republican lose the seat to Democrat Bill Foster.
Trey Hawkins, political director for CUNA, said it supported Oberweis in the special election because CUNA thought he was a better candidate than Foster and because the district is heavily Republican.
The two were vying for the remainder of Hastert’s term, after he resigned last November. The two candidates will vie again in November for the full two-year term for the next Congress.
The race was just one of several special elections in which CUNA was involved.
CUNA backed Democrat Andre Carson, an Indianapolis city councilor, with a $5,000 contribution in a special election he won to succeed his grandmother, six-term Rep. Julia Carson, who died recently.
CUNA also contributed $5,000 to Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, in a special election to succeed Bobby Jindal, a Republican who recently was elected governor of Louisiana.
