James Marter, center, with Jane Carroll of Rockton and Andrew Gasser of McHenry Co Board
OSWEGO – James Marter, a conservative businessman challenging incumbent U.S. Senator Mark Kirk in the March 15th GOP primary, has added another endorsement from a national conservative group. Jenny Beth Martin, on behalf of the national Tea Party Patriots, gave Marter a thumbs up.
“James Marter is a strong advocate for economic freedom, personal freedom, and a debt-free future. He has promised to work to repeal ObamaCare, oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants, and stand firm on the Constitution when it comes to considering judicial appointments," Martin said in a statement this week. "He has won the support of our local affiliate Tea Party organizations and leaders, and has convinced us he can be counted to work to inject our shared conservative values into the Senate GOP cloakroom – a place that sorely needs them."
Martin said running against an incumbent is never easy. "And when you’ve chosen to take on an incumbent member of your own party in a primary contest, the challenge is even greater. It is not an endeavor for the faint of heart," she said. "The very fact that James would offer himself as an alternative to his rather more moderate – dare I say, squishy?' – opponent is a testament to the fact that he’s got the intestinal fortitude necessary to stand strong on behalf of his constituents once he gets to Washington."
Marter has also been endorsed by Illinois Federation for Right to Life PAC, Taxpayers for America, and Americans for Legal Immigration PAC. However, he failed to get the endorsement of Paul Caprio's conservative Family PAC Federal.
Marter told Illinois Review he asked Caprio for the endorsement and was confident he'd receive it given the 100 percent rating he received from the group, and given the fact that Sen. Kirk, who is considered one of the most liberal members of the U.S. Senate, was not being considered.
When Caprio released his list of endorsements last week, Sen. Kirk's name appeared with the term "no endorsement" and James Marter's name wasn't listed.
Caprio told Illinois Review he didn't endorse Marter because he showed no campaign or finance plan, and had not hired a campaign manager or consultant.
UPDATE x1: Thursday afternoon, Marter's campaign manager Raquel Melanie told Illinois Review, "We appreciate all the endorsements and support we're getting from these groups, but the most important endorsement of all is the one voters make on March 15th."
Family PAC's endorsement list for the March 15th GOP primary is HERE.
