Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Clumns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on local and regional news you won't find anywhere else

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
      • Steve Metsch
      • Steve Neuhaus
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Toggle search form
  • Congresswoman Robin Kelly official photo
    Robin Kelly details what Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill means for Illinois Federal
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
    Orland Park Police Department Begins Fourth of July Traffic Safety Campaign Crime
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Dad secured important court victory, keeping sons safe at home Dads' Rights
  • Leving Matrimonial Law Seminar: Orders of Protection Pursuant to The Illinois Domestic Violence Act Arthur Kallow
  • Summer Smash Entertainer lineup 2025
    Summer Smash Festival returns this weekend June 20-22 at SeatGeek Bridgeview
  • Fireworks display for the 4th of July. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Orland Park Announces Independence Day Celebration July 3 Events
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Leving team’s court victory protected dad’s daughters from reported danger Dads' Rights
  • Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Madigan sentenced to stiff seven and a half years in prison on corruption case Chicago
  • Attorneys Jeffery Leving Arthur Kallow
    Honoring Fathers: A Father’s Day Reflection Arthur Kallow
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Understanding Cook County Property Taxes: A Guide for Homeowners Blogger
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Two Guys on Politics Podcast on Elon Musk, Trump’s Parade, LA Riots, and Middle East ban Bill Lipinski
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Often overlooked single fathers deserve praise this Father’s Day Blogger
  • Fentanyl drugs Courtesy of the DEA
    Five Defendants Charged in Federal Investigation Targeting Fentanyl Sales in Chicago Crime
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Southland manufacturer receives state funding thanks to Hastings Business
  • Stolen merchandise in the arrest of Isadore House by Cook County Sheriff 06-11-25
    Chicago Man Faces Felony after $400,000 in Stolen Merchandise Recovered Chicago

“No regrets”

Posted on March 24, 2020 By Steve Metsch No Comments on “No regrets”
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

“No regrets”

Lipinski reflects on campaign, primary loss  

By Steve Metsch

After his close defeat in the Democratic primary, U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (3rd) reflected on 15 years in Congress and what lies ahead.

Lipinski narrowly lost the primary to Marie Newman, whom he had defeated in a close race in 2018. Lipinski had won seven terms in Congress before his defeat in the March 17 primary.

According to unofficial results, Newman received 47.1 percent of the votes and Lipinski had 44.7, with Newman winning by 2,476 votes.

Two years ago, Lipinski won by 2,145 votes.

“I’ve received so many calls and e-mails from people who are supporting me for sticking to my principles and never giving those up,” he said in a March 19 phone interview.

“I am very proud of what I accomplished during my 15-plus years in Congress, and I still have nine months to go … I worked harder on this than anything I’ve worked on in my life. I felt good about it. I felt I was going to win, although I knew it would likely be close. I have no regrets,” Lipinski, 53, of Western Springs said.

His loss ended a Lipinski stronghold on the Congressional seat. His father, former Chicago alderman Bill Lipinski, was first elected to Congress in 1982.

The elder Lipinski was in office from Jan. 1983 until Jan. 2005, when the younger was appointed to complete the elder’s term. Dan Lipinski won election seven times from 2006 through 2018.

He hasn’t fully analyzed why he lost, but said “turnout in the city was down.” Chicago has long been solid base for him and for his father.

A lower city turnout may have played a role, he said, along with a stronger suburban turnout was up from 2018 when he narrowly defeated Newman.

Lipinski has congratulated Newman on her victory.

“As I said during the primary, I will support the winner of the primary,” Lipinski said in a news conference at his Oak Lawn headquarters on March 18. “We ran a campaign we can all be proud of.”

During that news conference, he defended his pro-life stance, one that he said sometimes resulted is his being “shunned” by fellow Democrats. Newman is pro-choice.

A Roman Catholic, he never wavered on his stance and said opposition to him “in the past year, got especially bad.”

“(On March 18) when I spoke I said I had been shunned by many of my colleagues, by other members of my party. You know, people didn’t want to be seen supporting me based on that issue. And, there was probably, my guess, $3 million spent on that issue alone against me. All I’ll say is the suggestions of what I, as a member of Congress, wanted to do and was able to do, I’ll just say, was exaggerated in much of this.”

Science, he said, shows “life begins at conception. Knowing this, I could never give up protecting the most vulnerable human beings in the world simply to win an election.”

“There is nothing more important than protecting life. That’s what I believe,” he said.

He added the “importance of standing up for principle, and not just believing that you do whatever it takes in order to get, to reach a goal.

Asked about accomplishments, he said there was time to discuss those later.

But he did note infrastructure and transportation improvements. One is the coming grade separation at 65th Street and Harlem. An underpass was built a few years ago on 71st Street west of Harlem in Bridgeview.

He declined to offer Newman any advice.

“I’m going to wait until the end of the year,” he said. “That’s a dangerous question because I’d hate for anyone to feel I’m telling Marie what to do.”

With nine months in his term, much of his time in Congress will likely be spent addressing the coronavirus which “people need to take very seriously.”

“I’m especially concerned for people who are older … I think shutting things down as much as we can is probably the best thing we can do right now. The economic consequences of that is going to be huge,” he said.

He questions the wisdom and safety of calling Congress back to Washington, D.C. to vote, given potential exposure to the coronavirus in their travels.

“There’s talk about for the first time ever allowing members to vote without being present, but there are a lot of complications,” he said.

There is a concern whether a vote being cast is actually cast by the elected official and not someone else. And party leaders, he said, are reluctant to give up their in-person influence.

It’s possible, he said, for elected officials to vote if they are given PIN numbers. “There’s no fail-safe way to do it,” he added.

A former college professor, he is not sure what his next job may be.

“What I do next is not based on what makes me the most money, but where I think I can continue to be of service to others,” he said. “I still have nine more months on this term.”

 

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Steve Metsch
Steve Metsch
Steve Metsch is an award winning veteran reporter who previously worked for the Daily Southtown Newspapers, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Metsch is a writer and editor at the Southwest News Newspaper group based in suburban Chicago, and a freelance writer a health magazine, the Suburban Life, the Naperville Sun, and other organizations.
Email Steve Metsch at sm4610@sbcglobal.net
Steve Metsch
Latest posts by Steve Metsch (see all)
  • Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are still rockin’ - August 10, 2023
  • Weathering personal storms - July 20, 2023
  • Countryside solution irks some - July 20, 2023
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
News, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:Coronavirus, Democratic primary, Marie Newman, U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski

Post navigation

Previous Post: Keeping their distance
Next Post: Saving a life

Related Posts

  • Passover Table
    Max and Benny’s Offers Passover Seder food service Business
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Leving Legal Forum to address client misconceptions of the law Cook County
  • American Flag. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Right from the Middle: The basic principles of positive Americanism Bill Lipinski
  • Why so much emphasis in Illinois on protecting criminals? Blogger
  • Supervisor Paul O'Grady with Gianna and Luca, who volunteer in the Orland Township Food Pantry with their mom, Maria.
    Orland Township Honors Volunteers Baby Boomers
  • Flags in Public Plaza. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Fear and dread in the USA Blogger

More Related Articles

Gary Grasso, Republican Candidate for Congress in the 6th District in 2022 6th Congressional District Candidate Grasso Hits Airwaves with  “Family First” Commercial Cook County
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column by clicking this link https://hanania.substack.com Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s new eNewsletter Political Column Civil Rights
Congressman Dan Lipinski, challenger Marie Newman, faced-off in the March 20, 2018 Democratic Primary election in Illinois's 3rd Congressional District. Lipinski won by a slim margin with 50.9 percent of the vote. War heats up between Lipinski and challenger Newman Chicago
Wolf Road Detour planned under I-294 for repair work August 2021 Tri-State overpass work will close Wolf Road with detour planned through Indian Head Park construction
Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas Third-party notices tell you if a relative or anyone you know misses a tax payment Blogger
Beverly Arts Centers hosts play on Ann Landers Oct. 6 - 9, 2022 Beverly Arts Centers hosts play on Ann Landers Oct. 6 – 9 Chicago

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Attorneys Jeffery Leving Arthur Kallow
    Honoring Fathers: A Father’s Day Reflection
    June 13, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Understanding Cook County Property Taxes: A Guide for Homeowners
    June 13, 2025
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Two Guys on Politics Podcast on Elon Musk, Trump’s Parade, LA Riots, and Middle East ban
    June 12, 2025
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Often overlooked single fathers deserve praise this Father’s Day
    June 12, 2025
  • Ray Hanania joins Thom Serafin on The Crisis Cast Podcast this week discussing presidential politics, journalism and how to understand Trump's reality TV persona style
    Podcast: Musk vs Trump and the impact of media distortion on news
    June 11, 2025
  • Opinion: Edgar County Watchdogs continue to exaggerate and lie for political union pals
    June 8, 2025
  • NEWS
  • Congresswoman Robin Kelly official photo
    Robin Kelly details what Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill means for Illinois
    June 19, 2025
  • Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
    Orland Park Police Department Begins Fourth of July Traffic Safety Campaign
    June 19, 2025
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • SPORTS
  • Chicago Wovles play the Rockford Ice Hogs, Feb. 23, 2025
    Chicago Wolves Hockey skate Past Rockford Icehogs 4 to 2
    February 23, 2025
  • Chicago Wolves player Andrew Poturalski. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Wolves. https://www.chicagowolves.com
    The Chicago Wolves dispatched the Iowa Wild 4-1 on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.
    February 22, 2025
  • NEWS RELEASES
  • Congresswoman Robin Kelly official photo
    Robin Kelly details what Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill means for Illinois
    June 19, 2025
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Leving team’s court victory protected dad’s daughters from reported danger
    June 14, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme