Tenacity

I first heard about Dan Seals while I was living in Minnesota in 2006. Even the press up in the frigid northland had caught on to the guy named Dan Seals who was waging a formidable campaign against an incumbent in a district just outside Chicago.

I had a chance to hear Dan speak at an Arlington Heights house party in 2008. Working in Minnesota politics, I learned to tell hollow platitudes from real substance. Dan has substance. At the house party, he was not only passionate about issues (aren’t all Democrats?), he was knowledgeable as well. It was clear that he had put real thought into issues like the budget and the environment.

A lot of candidates are intelligent, though. A lot of candidates know the issues (okay, some candidates). I am also choosing to support Dan because he can win—he has name recognition, fundraising capability, a strong team behind him, and that golden ability that is all too often missing in otherwise impressive candidates: the ability to connect with voters. He’s a policy wonk that speaks plainly, and people like him.


I’ve trolled some of the Republican blogs. Their knock on Dan seems to be that he has run before. Running for office is extremely difficult. Lincoln lost multiple elections. Only the people who have never run make fun of those who do.

Running and winning is even more difficult. It is stunning that Dan was able to garner almost 47% of the vote his first time out. And against an incumbent? It is a testament to the quality of Dan as a candidate and potential office-holder.

When Mark Kirk announced he was leaving his seat, I don’t blame Dan for deciding to run again. In fact, I admire him. It takes guts to run in the first place and even more guts to run once you’ve felt defeat. I want that kind of tenacity representing me in Congress.

Jessica Vealitzek
Arlington Heights