Illinois - U.S. Senate and House Candidate Endorsements based on drug war policy reform Note: This is an old Voting Guide. Go to the New Drug WarRant.net Voting Guide Make a difference in Illinois Drug WarRant is providing information to help you make decisions on voting and supporting candidates. Be aware that the information provided here ONLY relates to drug policy reform, and there are other reasons to vote for a candidate. However, drug policy reform is a critical issue, and one that is too often neglected by candidates, unless the voters make it critical. Below each candidate, you will see information about their drug policy reform views and/or voting record. (see the criteria at right for definitions). A red check mark is a Drug WarRant endorsement. A vote for them will be a vote for drug policy reform. In some cases there may be multiple good options. In other cases, there just isn't a good candidate. More endorsements will come as the election nears. If you have additional information about a candidate's drug policy positions, please contact Drug WarRant. If you don't know your district, go to Project Vote Smart and enter your zip code to find out your district and detailed information on all the candidates. Criteria 1. The National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) asks candidates which items they will support if elected. Not all candidates have answered the questionaire. For the purposes of Drug WarRant's endorsements, we have focused on the following specific items from the NPAT: NPAT Drugs: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding drugs. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs. Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs. Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes. Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs." Other or expanded principles For the purposes of endorsement, clearly the most important areas are "c, d, and f." A candidate with all three is gold. Selection "a" is a negative factor (although some consider this only for violent or major drug dealers). Selection "e" should be negative, but is confusing. There are some candidates who have an enlightened view of drug policy, who still choose "e" simply because of the heightened border concerns since 9/11, so there may be more involved in that response. At a minimum, a candidate should have chosen "d." The choice of "b" and/or "f" add to their attractiveness. NPAT Colombia funding: Should the United States increase its financial support to Colombia to combat "the war on drugs"? "No" is the preferred answer here (at a minimum -- in fact, the answer should be to reduce funding, rather than just not increasing it). It is possible that someone could claim they are for increased funding to Colombia, but not for spraying or military purposes, but rather humanitarian purposes -- this seems a stretch, however, so I am looking for a solid "No" here. 2. The Hinchey Amendment. The incumbents have had two opportunities (2003/2004) to vote on an amendment that would stop the federal government from interfering with medical marijuana in states where it is legal. There was no legitimate reason to vote against this (and it was a bipartisan amendment), so a "no" vote is generally an indication of ignorance, or being in the pocket of the drug warriors. The proper response is: "Hinchey: Yes/Yes," although No/Yes at least showed a capacity to learn. 3. Other criteria. Where there is useful information from campaign web sites or news reports, those details are added here. If you have additional information (preferably with links), please let me know. US Senate Barack Obama (D) No NPAT Jerry Kohn (L) NPAT Drugs: c,d,f, g The " war on drugs" is a war on people who harm no one but themselves. End criminal penalties for the use of drugs; NPAT Colombia funding: No Alan Keyes (R) No NPAT Albert J. Franzen (I) NPAT Drugs: d, e, g stop unfunded mandates; NPAT Colombia funding: No Obama's going to win by a very wide margin. All the more reason to vote for the Libertarian candidate and send a strong message for drug policy reform. US House 1 Raymond G. Wardingley (R) Challenger NPAT Drugs: a,c,d,e; NPAT Colombia funding: No answer Boby Lee Rush (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: Yes/Yes While Wardingley has some good answers on the NPAT, Rush is a proven asset, having supported Hinchey both years. Rush also co-sponsored good legislation to fix the student financial aid law (which keeps students with drug convictions from receiving aid). US House 2 Jesse Jackson (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: Yes/Yes Stephanie Sailor (I) Challenger No NPAT US House 3 Ryan Chlada (R) Challenger No NPAT William O. Lipinski (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: No/No There's some debate whether Chlada is even real, and we're not quite sure whether it will be Lipinski Sr. or Jr. for the Democrats, but I'm willing to make an endorsement based on knowing nothing but the fact that Lipinski wants to harrass medical marijuana patients. US House 4 Tony Cisneros (R) Challenger No NPAT Luis V. Gutierrez (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: Yes/Yes Jacob C. "Jake" Witmer (L) Challenger NPAT Drugs: c, f, g Any kind of substance that cannot, by itself, kill mass numbers of people should not be regulated by the government. Drugs are private property, as are guns, and are not the government's business, unless the government is immoral and thuggish. As an example of substances the government may regulate, here is a short list: ebola contaminants, radioactive waste, rabid animals.; NPAT Colombia funding: No Tough one between Gutierrez and Whitmer. Gutierrez, as incumbent, has a proven record, voting twice for Hinchey. He's also voted against military border drug patrols, against prohibiting needle exchange and medical marijuana in DC, and against drug tests for federal employees. On the other hand, Whitmer's drug war positions are pretty amazing, and if you look at his free speech page, he takes on the ONDCP and the DEA there as well. Very strong, well crafted message. Whitmer is slightly better overall on position on the drug war, but Gutierrez has a good record and incumbency. Your call (unless I hear more), but don't vote for Cisneros. US House 5 Bruce A. Best (R) Challenger NPAT Drugs: d,e; NPAT Colombia funding: Undecided Rahm Emanuel (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: No/No This is an endorsement based specifically on Medical Marijuana alone. Best supports it, and Emanual needs to be replaced based on his Hinchey votes. US House 6 Christine A. Cegelis (D) Challenger NPAT Drugs: b,c,d,f,g The "war on drugs" has not produced results. We need to look for ways to reduce drug usage in our country and in our culture. Drug prevention and drug treatment programs seem to a better investment for our tax dollars.; NPAT Colombia funding: No Henry J. Hyde (R) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: b,e; Hinchey: No/No; NPAT Colombia funding: Undecided This is a clear choice, although Henry Hyde will be difficult to unseat. US House 7 Danny K. Davis (D) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: b,d,g fund drug treatment on demand; Hinchey: Yes/Yes; NPAT Colombia funding: No Antonio Davis-Fairman (R) Challenger No NPAT US House 8 Melissa L. Bean (D) Challenger NPAT Drugs: b,e; NPAT Colombia funding: No Philip M. Crane (R) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: No/No I would like to see better answers on Melissa's NPAT, but she answers right on Colombia funding, and would be a definite improvement over Crane, who twice voted against medical marijuana. US House 9 Janice D. "Jan" Schakowsky (D) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: b,c,d,e; Hinchey: Yes/Yes; NPAT Colombia funding: No Kurt J. Eckhardt (R) Challenger NPAT Drugs: b,c,d,e,g I favor initiatives that treat substance abuse as a health problem rather than as a criminal activity; NPAT Colombia funding: Yes US House 10 Lee Goodman (D) Challenger No NPAT Mark Steven Kirk (R) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: No/No US House 11 Tari Renner (D) Challenger NPAT Drugs: a,b,c,d,e,g Mandatory jail sentences should be reserved for serious drug offenses.; NPAT Colombia funding: No Gerald C. "Jerry" Weller" (R) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: No/No This is Drug WarRant's featured race. Not only is it competitive (so our efforts can make the difference), but there's a clear difference on Medical Marijuana and other drug war issues. Also, Weller lied about this site and the endorsement in order to slander his opponent. He does not deserve to be in office. US House 12 Jerry F. Costello (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: No/No Erin R. Zweigart (R) Challenger NPAT Drugs: c,d,e; NPAT Colombia funding: No Walter B. Steele (L) Challenger No NPAT US House 13 Gloria Shor Andersen (D) Challenger NPAT Drugs: a,b,d,g Increase funding for after-school programs and mental health services.; NPAT Colombia funding: Yes Judy Biggert (R) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: No/No I'm not thrilled with Anderson's position on Colombia, but she's got the right stand on medical marijuana, and Biggert is part of the problem with her voting record. US House 14 J. Dennis "Denny" Hastert (R) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: (no record) Ruben K. Zamora (D) Challenger NPAT Drugs: b,c,d, g "War on Drugs" is ineffective and needs revamping.; NPAT Colombia funding: No Unlikely to unseat Hastert, but worth voting in opposition. US House 15 David M. Gill (D) Challenger NPAT Drugs: b,d; NPAT Colombia funding: No Timothy V. "Tim" Johnson (R) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: b,d,e; NPAT Colombia funding: No; Hinchey: Yes/Yes This is a difficult one. I've met Dr. Gill and he supports medical marijuana use and he's a great guy. On the other hand, Johnson has voted the right way on Hinchey two years in a row, despite party pressure. This will be a tough call. US House 16 Donald A. Manzullo (R) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: a,e; NPAT Colombia funding: No; Hinchey: No/No John H. Kutsch (D) Challenger NPAT Drugs: b,c,d,f; NPAT Colombia funding: No Thomas R. Carlson (I) Challenger No NPAT US House 17 Lane A. Evans (D) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: b,d,e,f; NPAT Colombia funding: No; Hinchey: No/Yes Andrea Lane Zinga (R) Challenger No NPAT Hey, Lane was at least able to learn and now has some good views. US House 18 Ray H. LaHood (R) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: b,e; NPAT Colombia funding: Yes; Hinchey: No/NV Steve Waterworth (D) Challenger NPAT Drugs: a,b,c,d,e; NPAT Colombia funding: No Long shot. But Lahood needs to get the message, and Waterworth has the right one. US House 19 Tim Bagwell (D) Challenger NPAT Drugs: No answers; NPAT Colombia funding: Yes John M. Shimkus (R) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: a,b,e; NPAT Colombia funding: Yes; Hinchey: No/No I wish I knew more about Bagwell, but it's still a good vote against Shimkus Back to main voting guide page.