Retired career Army officer, PhD, author, and 20-year Naperville homeowner files Statement of Candidacy to Challenge Foster in 2022

From POLITICO Illinois Playbook Tuesday morning:

Rep. Bill Foster has taken his concerns about the latest congressional map to his supporters. In a fundraising letter, he said, “Last week new Illinois maps were released, and frankly the results don’t look great for me: My existing 11th District was cut into four pieces. The main city, Aurora, which has stayed with me through thick and thin throughout my political career, was cut in two. Our second major Democratic city, Joliet, was transferred entirely into another district. Our third city, Naperville where I live, remains split in two. Conservative rural areas more than an hour away replaced much of the missing population from the loss of these cities.”

He adds, “most worryingly… our Democratic senator and governor only received 48 percent of the vote in this new district — the worst performance of any Democratic district in Illinois.” With that, he says, he needs supporters’ financial help.

Separately overnight, U.S. Army Major Michael D. Pierce (ret.) of Naperville filed an amended Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to challenge Congressman Foster’s reelection for an 8th term in Congress.

Pierce, who grew up in Elgin, Aurora and Kankakee, established roots in DuPage County when he enrolled in school at North Central College in Naperville in 1983, and voted in his first election in 1984 in DuPage County.

While working his way through school, Pierce was a youth minister in Ingalls Park (by Joliet), Genoa (DeKalb County) and in Aurora.

After graduating from North Central College in 1988, Pierce was an assistant cross country track coach at UIC for a season, and also coached track at the Illinois Math and Science Academy among other employment at that time.

Pierce enlisted in the U.S. Army in the early 1990s. After his first years as an enlisted man, he was recommended for Officer Candidate School, and earned his officer commission.

Retiring from the Army after 20 years, including a 15-month deployment to Iraq, Pierce published a book on organizational leadership and did project work for the Department of Defense.

McHenry County Blog has learned Pierce will be appearing November 14 with On Target Radio Show at 9PM CST to discuss his candidacy with hosts David Lombardo, and co-host Gretchen Fritz.

Other media appearances will be shared as information becomes available.

From the desk of John Lopez: So Congressman Foster relegates residents of McHenry, DeKalb, Boone, Lake and northern Kane counties as “Conservative rural areas more than an hour away”?

When Foster served two terms from 2008 to 2011 in the old IL-14, he represented ALL of northern Kane County including the Hampshire and most of Rutland townships in Kane, was this how he felt about the residents then?

Wonder if residents of Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock, Huntley, Island Lake, Belvidere and every other municipality over an hours drive from Naperville see themselves as rural areas let alone conservative.

For reference, here is the map of Chicagoland congressional districts passed by the Illinois General Assembly last Friday:

Foster is clearly upset with what his fellow Democrats in Springfield did to him.

Fair enough.

As far as the metrics Foster cited in his email confirms the coverage here on McHenry County Blog including yesterday, down ballot races are not as heavily Democrat as the presidential results within the new IL-11 in 2016 and 2020.

With the FEC Statement of Candidacy from Major Pierce, McHenry County Blog expects there will be other Republicans filing to compete in the Republican primary June 28 for the opportunity to challenge Congressman Foster.

And now Foster has let voters know how he feels about residents in the new portions of his new district.

Foster’s concerns expressed in his campaign email betrays fear and predicts a competitive general election a year from now, and possibly for Foster, echoes of his 2010 loss for reelection crossed his mind.