This should be fun.
One of the nice things for Republicans in some of the open races this year is that they can bring in new blood, folks who aren’t tainted by associations with Tom DeLay or Abramoff or whomever.
But that might not work out that well in Illinois’ 6th District where Democrat Tammy Duckworth and Republican Peter Roskam are vying to replace the retiring Henry Hyde (R-IL).
Roskam used to work for DeLay. And even though his work on DeLay’s staff was back in 1980s, DeLay seems to have been on hand to lend his old employee a helping hand much more recently.
Here’s a clip from a January, 18 1998 piece in the Chicago Tribune …
Word on Capitol Hill is that ideological conservative state Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Naperville) is getting behind-the-scenes help in his six-way Republican congressional primary battle from GOP House Whip Tom DeLay of Texas.
DeLay is the arch-conservative former pest-control service operator whose former profession and aggressive attacks on federal regulation of almost any type, including environmental laws, has earned him the nickname “The Exterminator.”
A top aide to DeLay has been calling around to some big conservative backers suggesting they “take a look at” (i.e., send money to) Roskam, said a congressional source.
Of course, last April, as DeLay started swirling toward the court house, Roskam said he really never kept in touch. He told the Sun-Times he “not had any contact with [DeLay] essentially for 20 years.”
On the other hand, five months later DeLay was co-hosting a Roskam fundraiser in DC.
So the whole thing is really sort of hard to keep track of.
Maybe someone can help me.
