UPDATE: Stava-Murray accuses Democrat colleague of assault on Day 3. (See below)
NAPERVILLE – Naperville resident Anne Stava-Murray shocked DuPage/Will County voters when she ousted GOP incumbent David Olsen in the 81st House District last November. Apparently, the feisty state representative who is yet to be sworn into office launched a political career that will be noted by surprises.
She ousted the DuPage Republican incumbent with less than $30,000 and 1000 votes.
She's publicly declared she won't vote for Mike Madigan as House Speaker.
Over the weekend, she once again ignored traditional media and went straight to her supporters with an announcement: she plans to challenge incumbent US Senator Dick Durbin in Illinois' 2020 Democrat primary.
Stava-Murray, who fits well into the young progressive Democrat template that is giving new power to Leftists in the US Congress, wrote the following on her Facebook page:
TLDR: I’m running for U.S. Senate in 2020.
New year, new news!
For those who don’t know me yet; I was born in Wilmington, IL and moved to Naperville when I was 8. My husband and I have since bought the house in Naperville I grew up in, where we are raising our 3 small children nearby my parents and brother and his family.
Growing up, I was an awkward kid with glasses who liked reading, so needless to say I experienced a lot of bullying as a child.
This happened at various schools and I continued to be bullied up until my 20s in various workplaces.
Luckily, all of these years of being bullied taught me two important lessons: 1) how to stand up to a bully targeting me and 2) how to take power away from bullies targeting people around me.
I ran for State Rep in 2018 because I was so sick of being indirectly bullied by our political machines who care more about preserving themselves than the health and wellness of the people.
I had been meeting with my state rep on a number of issues from criminal justice reform to women’s rights (#voteprochoice) to legalizing marijuana and it was clear he was going to “play the game” as his party mentored him to.
After winning my election, there are a few in my party who have tried to bully me in a very obvious way for my respectful vote against Speaker Madigan keeping his unprecedented power.
I’m the 3rd person in over 30 yrs to do so. However, many people have also been supportive and friendly behind the scenes.
To the state Democrats willing to work with me and the thousands of everyday people across the state who have commented, sent letters, emails and FB messages in support, I say thank you.
You make traveling to a workplace with an ongoing problem of sexual harassment/assault for 2 yrs something I’m willing to follow through on.
Thinking of my two years in our state government & beyond, I know that game-changing legislation is much needed in many areas beyond those I already mentioned:
- #MedicareForAll: actually affordable healthcare reform that DOESN’T give away 💰to for-profit millionaires who don’t want to cover us when we’re sick
– Reducing preventable deaths that happen more often in hospitals for people of a certain race, gender, sex, religion, native language other than English, etc.
- #blacklivesmatter & #FamiliesBelongTogether: ensuring entities designed to promote public safety actually provide safety to all people, including children, on U.S. soil regardless of race or religion or immigration status because people should be treated with human dignity when they interact with our government.
- #EndCitizensUnited: decreasing the influence of money on the outcome of our elections
– Increasing access to public transportation and public safety as driverless truck fleets and next generation car technology hits the roads
- #WearRedForEd: proper education funding that doesn’t result in mass striking for teachers to receive basic resources
- #EnoughisEnough: reducing gun related deaths (number one cause is self-inflicted) in an era where 3-D printers can make guns
- #EndtheStigma: tackling mental health care and the epidemics of stress, depression, addiction and suicide among teens and young adults.
– Providing support for the LGBTQIA community as they have among the highest rates of being murdered by a member of the public.
- #EqualPayforEqualWork: including pay transparency and not allowing salaries or pay scales to be set on prior wages that may have been discriminatory
- #UnionSolidarity: making sure workers are able to stand up to would be bullies and ensure safety and basic training and income for their members
- #EndMeTooNow reducing rape in workplaces and on college campuses & increasing education on consent among children and adults
- #StopSterigenics: making sure companies don’t get away with polluting and killing our residents without any accountability and preventing them from doing so further
There are many other issues I feel passionate about so if you have one you care about I haven’t covered, please comment or message me.
I am known for answering comments and messages and saying what I really think (in a respectful way).
I also know that I’m a human being and sometimes I make mistakes and sometimes I learn something new that changes my mind; so I try to let everyone know when that happens too.
With all that said, I’d like work on our collective to-do list and take down the bullies who try to hurt us as your U.S. Senator.
If you live in IL, you will be voting on a Senator in 2020. No other candidates have said clearly “I’m running,” as of this posting.
Let me be the first to say, I’m running and I hope you’ll vote for me.
#StavaMurrayforSenate #YourVoiceYourChoice2020#dobetterwithAnneStavaMurray
Senator Durbin would do well not to shrug off this challenge. He might talk to once-Congressman Joe Crowley, whose New York district seat today will be filled by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
UPDATE: Stava-Murray posted the following on Twitter in an exchange with CapitolFax's Rich Miller:
