Most of the Congressional races for Illinois face battles within party lines, and therefore the primary races offer more of a heated battle than the general election. This election season sees only a few tight fights, including two redistricted incumbents facing off downstate.
An openly gay man is hoping to make history in Illinois by winning a Congressional post from the North Shore's 10th District. Hank Perritt already made history March 19 by becoming the Democratic Congressional nominee--he is now the state's first openly gay Congressional candidate nominated by a major party.
Perritt faces off against moderate incumbent U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, who, despite a rating of 67% on gay-related bills, has the backing of the Human Rights Campaign.
Perritt is a former moderate Republican who worked in the Nixon and Ford Administrations but who later converted to the Democratic Party when his own party shifted right. He took a leave of absence as dean of the Chicago-Kent College of Law to campaign.
The 10th District runs from Wilmette in the south to Waukegan in the north, and extends as far west as Arlington Heights. It includes Libertyville, Vernon Hills, Buffalo Grove, Prospect Heights, Glenview, Deerfield, Palatine and more.
Perritt's background includes serving on President Clinton's first transition team for technology, and he has vast experience in labor and employment law. He moved to Chicago in 1997 to assume the role of dean of the Chicago-Kent College of Law. He has been with his partner 17 years, and he said he was out as a gay man when being interviewed for the dean's post.
Kirk's office did not respond to phone calls and mailings asking for an interview and for answers to the WCT questionnaire.