I have an excellent candidate I'd like to introduce you to

[WilliamPitt]

Her name is Christine Cegalis, and she is running for Henry Hyde's old seat, District Six in Chicago. Ms. Cegalis is a lot of the reason why I can call it Hyde's old seat; she ran against him in 2004 and got 44% of the vote, which was enough to convince Henry to retire for greener pastures.

One of the things I really like about Ms. Cegalis is her pragmatic approach to the needs of her district. Yes, she is opposed to the war. Yes, she stands for all the progressive issues that affect the national debate. But she is wise enough to know that she must focus not only on these national issues, but on the issues that affect the people in the Sixth.

"I have always believed," says Cegelis, "that you are supposed to hand over the country to your children in better shape than you received it. We are not doing that. I went to a state college and worked a minimum wage job for $2.50 an hour. Even with that small wage, I was able to afford an apartment, a car, tuition and books, and was able to graduate in four years with no debt. That is impossible now, and that has to change."

Cegelis has specific plans for the development of economic vitality in her district. "This district is losing jobs for the first time in 50 years," says Cegelis, "and a lot of that has to do with O'Hare Airport. O'Hare has been the economic anchor of this district for years, but thanks to Henry Hyde, the airport stopped expanding and those jobs disappeared. O'Hare used to be the transportation hub for the country, but we have fallen behind, and I intend to change that."

"I see the development of alternative sources of energy as another job creator for this district," says Cegelis. "We have one of the largest bases of light manufacturing in the country here in this district, and some of the best engineering schools to be found anywhere. Developing an alternative energy industry in the Sixth District will not only help the environment, but will create many jobs for the people here."

Progressive Democrats of America endorsed Ms. Cegalis on January 13th. You can read that endorsement here. Our work for her to date has raised her a fair chunk of money, but she will need more. The powers-that-be at the DCCC are running candidates against her, pretty much specifically because they don't want another anti-war Democrat mucking up their middle-of-the-road plans.

We need to take 15 seats in the House to regain the majority. If you're looking for a candidate to help, I cannot recommend anyone more highly that Christine Cegalis. Her campaign website is here.

Ms. Cegalis sent PDA a warm letter of thanks the other day. It reads:

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January 19, 2006

Dear Members of the PDA,

Friday the 13th is my lucky day! Good things always happen to me on the 13th of the month. Both my sons were born on the 13th, and one was even on Friday the 13th. The PDA's Friday the 13th endorsement of my candidacy could not have come on a better day.

Since that endorsement I have received nearly $10,000 in donations from over 360 people. It is a testament to what the grassroots, progressive wing of our Democratic party can do when we band together for a common cause.

In 2004, when I took on a fight for the Congressional Seat in Illinois' District 6, the incumbent was Henry Hyde. Hyde was practically a household name -- not just in my district, but around the country. I ran then as a progressive Democrat and garnered more than 44% of the vote. That's more than any Democrat earned since Hyde had been elected 30 years before.

I always knew that I would have to run twice and I started my campaign literally the day after the election. Now the whole country knows that this is a seat that is a possible pick-up for the Democrats. That realization has brought new challenges as well.

This race is not just about the direction of our country, but the direction of the Democratic Party. We need to have more strong progressive voices in our party and our Congress. I promise to be that voice for you and I am proud to have your endorsement. Thank you for all of your support.

Sincerely,

Christine Cegelis