With a week to go before the March 20 primary, and rallied their supporters Monday to make a final push to help them become the Democratic nominee to challenge in the Nov. 6 general election.
Sheyman got his crowd of more than 250 people at the United Auto Workers Hall in Lincolnshire to a fever pitch with chants of “Sheyman, Sheyman, Sheyman” .
Schneider thanked a more muted crowd of more than 100 volunteers and supporters at in Highland Park for their support, and asked them to keep making calls and knocking on doors to help him gain the nomination.
The two other candidates seeking the Democratic nod are Long Grove business owner and Mundelein attorney .
Dean, a 2004 Presidential candidate and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, was an early Sheyman supporter. He told the group how people like Sheyman will finish the work started by Dean and others in the 1960’s.
“We’re going to finish the revolution but it’s not our generation that’s going to finish it,” Dean said. “It is Ilya’s generation that will.” Dean praised Sheyman’s youth—he is 25—as an asset for change.
“That’s why I’m for him, because he’s only 25,” Dean said. “Ilya’s going to change American in Washington. We will win because we have core values that make us Democrats. What the younger generation is looking at is the 90 percent that makes us the same.”
The crowd exploded with applause and cheers as Dean finished and Sheyman walked to the podium. He praised his volunteer corps of more than 600 people and told them they were the ones who would foster change in the United States.
“You have the power to change this country,” Sheyman said. “This is the model we used to build the campaign to take back the 10th District. This is one of the most diverse districts in the country.”
Schneider recognized the diversity of the 10th District as well when he asked his supporters to continue making the effort necessary to give him the nomination.
“I want to represent the entire, diverse 10th District, from Glenview to Grayslake,” Schneider said. “We are going to do this with character, integrity and class,” he added, exhorting the group to volunteer as much as they could through 7 p.m. next Tuesday when the polls close.
Schneider also talked about his early efforts to organize on behalf of environmental efforts in Colorado. He was feted for his efforts by Gov. Richard Lamm. “When I was 25 I was being given an award by the governor of Colorado for what I did organizing on behalf of Outdoor Colorado,” he said.
Schneider if also deeply involved with Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. He is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a participant in the “In Good Faith” program at Catholic Theological Union. He also has worked with AIPAC and the Latino/Jewish Interfaith Council.
Any age/life-experience “advantage” Brad has in the general election ends the minute Schneider gets on the Debate stage with Dold. Picture this: Moderator: Congressman Dold, what is your stance on Global Warming? Dold: I’d love to answer that question, but first I'd like to congratulate Brad for having contributed 3 times more money to Mark Kirk over the years than I have. Moderator: Congressman Dold, what do you think of Obama’s Millionaire tax proposal? Dold: I’d love to answer that question, but first I want to congratulate Brad for having contributed just shy of $6000 to GOP candidates, which makes my little $1000 contribution (to Mark Kirk in 2010—same year I was running for his old office—lol) pale by comparison.