“We need more people with a background like Jerry Evans in Congress.

“As a small business owner Jerry will watch out for taxpayers.

“As a parent, Jerry will make sure that parents get a say in all aspects of their children’s education.

“And as a conservative, I trust Jerry to protect our borders and secure our energy independence once again.” — Jeanne Ives, 4/6/22

From the desk of John Lopez: The impact of former state Representative Jeanne Ives’ (R, Wheaton) endorsement of congressional candidate Jerry Evans (R, Warrenville) cannot be overstated in the 11th Congressional District Republican primary.

Evans, one of 6 Republican candidates competing for the honor to challenge Congressman Bill Foster (D, Naperville) this fall, continues to set himself apart as the candidate supported by Illinois’ proven social conservatives, and not the Republican establishment or out-of-state cultural conservatives who initially rallied around other candidates in the primary.

Evans, who appeared in-person Monday night at the We the People of McHenry County meeting in Cary, told the meeting of 4 dozen people the Ives endorsement was about to be announced.

He also told the audience about how his campaign had been provisioned by God through campaign contributions and in spite of his campaign launching in late January, Evans told the group the proof of donors rallying to his campaign will be clear when he files his Federal Election Commission (FEC) first quarter report by the end of next week.

The audience Monday night was clearly impressed, and Evans’ campaign signed up many volunteers and future events people wanted to hear from Evans, including at churches.

Evans’ authenticity in addition to his message, won the audience Monday night in Cary, including Evans backing up his words with action, something brought up on Monday of Evans actively working for the Republican ticket, on the ground with shoe leather, helping the Republican ticket win in November of 2020.

Out walking door to door for @JimOberweis for US Congress! Come support Jim with me, and let’s help him get elected to Congress! https://t.co/bo0hFPRtX9 #BeBold pic.twitter.com/WbQfJArTfO

— Jerry Evans (@JerryEvans2020) August 23, 2020

The Oberweis video, tweeted in August of 2020, had follow-up tweets with still pics of Evans pounding pavement for not only Oberweis, who won the IL-14 Republican primary where Evans finished 6th in 2020, but also for other Republicans on the ticket, including Jeanne Ives when he was walking precincts in the 6th Congressional District.

Evans went beyond social media to support the ticket, Evans was on the ground and using shoe leather walking door-to-door to help the ticket two years ago.

The genuine authenticity with a proven record of authenticity was what Ives conveyed in her endorsement. Similar reference was used when former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Bob Thomas endorsed Evans back in February.

With Ives’ endorsement, Evans remains the only IL-11 Republican candidate with major in-state endorsements from proven Republican leaders. Thus far, none of Evans’ primary opponents can make the claim.

But returning to the Ives endorsement, Capitol Fax brought up a latent reason the 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary challenger to then-Governor Bruce Rauner, and that is the nominal frontrunner in IL-11, Catalina Lauf (R, Woodstock) record in Illinois politics from 2018.

From Capitol Fax‘s Rich Miller in his campaign update of 4/6/22:

“Catalina Lauf, another GOP candidate in that district, was with Rauner and against Ives in 2018.”

Recalling how Lauf, when she appeared at the We the People of McHenry County meeting on February 28, claimed she was not ashamed of her work for Citizens for Rauner, and was confronted about the lack of identifying her 10-month employment with Citizens for Rauner from January through November that year on her LinkedIn page, as Lauf and her supporters attempt to sweep her Rauner employment under the rug, many more Illinois conservatives do not.

Jeanne Ives is one of them.

For reference, here is Lauf’s LinkedIn page excerpt as it appeared when extracted, and appears today:

Evans’ authenticity is rooted in his Christian faith and living the Scriptures. The six verses of Psalm 128 accurately describe Evans. With Evans, one does not have to sift through his words to locate the truth, as when he speaks, he speaks the truth.

When Ives described Evans as a small business owner, Evans has an established and proven small business in his name established years ago. Evans business is based in Illinois, and he employs Illinoisians at his music school that bears his name.

The provisions of God brought him his wife, his two sons, a home he has owned in Warrenville for several years.

Authenticity, which enables Evans to deliver his message to resonate with voters in the 11th Congressional District, and he is clearly running a better campaign in 2022 opposed to his initial run in 2020.