Bernie Sanders Endorses Marie Newman In Democratic Primary

LA GRANGE, IL -- Marie Newman, who is battling to unseat Western Springs Democrat Dan Lipinski for Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District, got a big boost from Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT). Newman and Lipinski are both running neck and neck in the polls. Sanders announced Thursday that he is backing Newman against the incumbent congressman in the March 20 Democratic primary. The contentious Illinois 3rd Democratic primary is receiving national attention as one of the top races to watch in primary season.

Sanders won Illinois’s 3rd by eight points in the 2016 presidential primary. The Sanders-related progressive organization Our Revolution has already endorsed Newman. Sanders swung through Chicago last week stumping for Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who is running in Illinois’s 4th Congressional District to fill a vacancy left by the retiring Luis Gutierrez. Sanders said it was important to elect as many progressive Democrats as possible in the U.S. Senate and House.

"Marie Newman has made it clear that she will be a champion for working families in Illinois, which is why I am proud to support her campaign” said Senator Bernie Sanders. “In Congress, Marie will fight for Medicare for All, a $15 an hour minimum wage, and providing workers with benefits such as paid sick leave, while protecting Medicare and Social Security. She will defend women’s rights, LGBT rights and ensure immigrants have a safe path to citizenship. I am proud to stand with Marie and look forward to continuing to fight alongside her on these and other critical issues once she’s elected to Congress.”

The Newman campaign called the endorsement a “game changer” in her bid to unseat the seven-term congressman. Politico described Sanders’ endorsement of Newman as a “snub” to Lipinski.

“The tides are changing here in the Third district of Illinois. For far too long, Dan Lipinski has lost no sleep over ignoring the needs of hardworking families--but that stops now. I will be the unabashedly progressive champion that women and families across this district and beyond deserve, never compromising on the values they work hard every single day to achieve,” said Marie Newman in a written statement. “I could not be more proud to have the endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders who has been the leading champion for working families in our nation. I look forward to working alongside him to ensure that when you work hard and play by the rules, you will have a shot at the American Dream.”

Newman has hammered at Lipinski, depicting him as a conservative Democrat and attacking his staunch anti-abortion views. Lipinski leads the Blue Dog Coalition, a congressional caucus of fiscally conservative House Democrats. He was also voted against the Affordable Care Act and the DREAM Act, and co-sponsored the First Amendment Defense Act, which prohibits the government from taking discriminatory action against same-sex couples.

The upstart challenger from LaGrange has gained the endorsements from top progressive voices across the map, including NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Human Rights Campaign, SEIU, MoveOn.org, EMILY’s List, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Reps Jan Schakowsky and Luis Gutierréz, Gloria Steinem, Hispanic American Labor Council, Reclaim Chicago, National Nurses United, and a slew of other top individuals and organizations.

Lipinski on the other hand, is endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago-Tribune, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, the Chicago Firefighters Union, and 13 labor unions, including Illinois AFL-CIO. The congressman has also racked up the endorsements of 30 suburban mayors from the 3rd District and 54 women elected officials.

The Newman campaign has stated that it planned to up its ground game in the final days before the March 20 primary, although early voting has already started in Illinois. The winner of the Democratic primary will face the lone GOP primary candidate, avowed neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier Art Jones of Lyons.

Bernie Sanders at the recent Chuy Garcia rally. | Patch Editor Tim Moran