Dan Seals 10th: Race Not on National Radar

Dan Seals, two-time candidate for Congress in Illinois' 10th Congressional District running on the Democratic ticket, has some bad news today. In an article at Real Clear Politics, his race doesn't make the top 25 competitive races nationwide. Only one Illinois seat made that cut--that vacated by the retiring Jerry Weller in the 11th District--ranked at number 17.

In what might seem to be a bold move, Seals, who has been running for office full-time for nearly 4 years, has put his house in the nearby 9th Congressional District up for sale. Seals has promised to move into the district if elected, which is required by law. However, there are strong but unsubstantiated rumors that his wife, a cheese executive, has accepted a job in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Seals' campaign has been plagued by a number of gaffes pounced upon by bloggers supportering incumbent Congressman Mark Kirk. These include accepting an envelope from former Illinois Congressman and convicted felon Dan Rostenkowski in front of a night school continuing education class which Seals taught, resume padding, and a gas-buying publicity stunt which snarled traffic on Milwaukee Avenue and infuriated the police chief in Lincolnshire who had not been given advance warning.