MORRIS – The seven-way GOP primary in Illinois' 14th CD hit fever pitch Thursday when State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) hurled an attack on her Republican colleague State Senator Jim Oberweis (R-North Aurora), saying she had filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission over tactics Oberweis has been using to raise campaign funds.
"Numerous Republican candidates have told Sue Rezin for months that Jim Oberweis called them and asked for a contribution from them to his campaign for Congress in exchange for a contribution from him of greater value (almost always double the amount) to their respective campaign committees," the campaign said in a press release.
"This was Oberweis’ way of using funds in his state campaign account for his federal campaign —and it is illegal. It would still be illegal if he wasn’t offering contributions of 'greater value' than those he was soliciting for his campaign for Congress, but the 'greater value' offers demonstrate the lengths he is going to illegally convert 'soft' state campaign funds into 'hard' federal campaign funds," the Rezin campaign said.
Oberweis' campaign shrugged off Rezin's complaint as "dirty, smear tactics" and "simply not true."
"The truth is Jim Oberweis has donated to Republican candidates for more than a decade. He has put in a half a million dollars of his own money to beat Lauren Underwood, and he is the only Republican with the resources to do so," Oberweis' campaign said in a statement. "The campaign has followed, and will continue to follow, both the letter and spirit of the Federal Campaign Contribution and Disclosure laws."
The Oberweis' people criticized Rezin for waiting until the last 12 days before the March 17th primary to say or do anything.
"This is nothing more than political grandstanding," Oberweis' campaign said.
While there are seven vying for the chance of challenging Democrat freshman US Rep Lauren Underwood in November 2020, local media suggests the race has come down to a race between Rezin and Oberweis.
Others in the 14th CD GOP primary
