Cheney launches campaign to unseat Roskam
Carole Cheney, a close aide to Congressman Bill Foster has thrown her hat into the ring to challenge one of Foster’s Republican Party colleagues, Peter Roskam. Roskam is one of the most rightwing members of the Congress who has thrived on voter apathy. Roskam is also considered one of the worst members of the U.S. Congress
Carole Cheney, formerly a top aide to Representative Bill Foster (D-11), today officially filed paperwork and launched her campaign website in her bid to unseat Representative Peter Roskam in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District.
“I’m running for office to give a voice back to the people of Illinois’ Sixth District,” Cheney said. “Peter Roskam has lost touch with his community, and has put the Trump agenda ahead of the needs of the people he is supposed to be serving. It is time for the concerns of our community to come before political careers and personal agendas.
“Today, I formally announce my bid to unseat Representative Peter Roskam.
“I grew up the daughter of a butcher and a secretary. We didn’t have much, but I had what so many don’t today: opportunities. Opportunities allowed me to work my way through college and eventually land a job at a top law firm. But I learned no amount of planning can prepare a person for health problems. I had major neck surgery and nearly lost my home trying to make ends meet to support my family. I knew I was not the only one who felt abandoned during hard times, so after recovering I pursued work that would help the vulnerable deal with the curves life throws at them.
I became District Chief of Staff to Representative Bill Foster, where I focused on trying to make government work for the people again. I was proud to head a team that helped bring millions of dollars back to the district – reinvesting in the community and helping constituents receive the benefits they’ve earned.”
Carole Cheney served as District Chief of Staff to Illinois 11th District Representative Bill Foster from 2013 until 2017. During that time, she focused on delivering for the residents of the district – from making sure seniors received help in navigating the social security system, to returning millions of tax dollars back to the district to be reinvested in the community – and ensuring that the congressional doors would always be open so constituents could voice their concerns and be heard.
“Too often, people say government isn’t working. I have helped make government work and want to keep doing so,” Cheney said. “Running Congressman Foster’s District Office provided me with the perspective and experience necessary to best advocate for the priorities of the people of the 6th Congressional District in Washington, DC.”
Cheney’s sons, Daniel and Jack, graduated from Naperville’s Indian Prairie School District 204. Cheney has been involved in a variety of organizations, including serving on the Chicago area advisory board for Feed My Starving Children, as well as boards of a local Boys & Girls Club and a Children’s Advocacy Center that provides services and support to abused children. In 2008 and again in 2016, Cheney went on a mission to Haiti with members of the community through her local church in Naperville, St. Thomas the Apostle.
Cheney received an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Illinois-Urbana and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois-Springfield, paying her way for college through a combination of working and student loans. She worked as a reporter for a National Public Radio affiliate in central Illinois and at the National Safety Council, a nonprofit whose mission is to protect the public on the road, at home and in the workplace, before going on to attend law school. She received her law degree from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law where she had the honor of serving as editor-in-chief of the Law Review. Cheney practiced law for 20 years at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, an international law firm based in Chicago.
With her extensive professional background, which spans the public, private and non-profit sectors, Cheney is uniquely qualified to raise the funds necessary to beat an entrenched politician.
Further, she is the only candidate with experience making government work for people.
“The people of Illinois’ 6th Congressional District have been ignored by Representative Roskam for too long,” Cheney said. “After a decade in Washington, D.C., Representative Roskam has lost touch with the community. Even though a majority of people in this district did not vote for Donald Trump, Roskam has voted with President Trump over 97% of the time – and has led the efforts to take health care away from millions of Americans and proposes a tax plan that lowers taxes for corporations, putting the burden squarely on the shoulders of middle class families.
“Peter Roskam has failed his constituents. Instead of being a voice for our community, he is a mouthpiece for Donald Trump,” said Cheney. “It’s time to replace Peter Roskam with someone who is focused on serving the interests of this community, not special interests. I know from the ground up how to serve, and am the only candidate who can hit the ground running. Being a representative means more than shaking hands in back rooms. It is time to bring back faith in our government. I am ready to serve.”
NOTE: A total of 468 seats in the U.S. Congress (33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats) are up for election on November 6, 2018 with the Illinois Primary in March 2018.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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