John Laesch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since August 2007. |
| John Laesch | |
|
Candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 14th district
|
|
|
|
|
| Born | January 29, 1974 Monrovia, Liberia |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jennifer Laesch |
| Alma mater | Illinois State University |
| Profession | Union Carpenter (Local 195) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | John08.com |
John Laesch (born January 29, 1974 in Monrovia, Liberia) is a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Illinois. His most recent race was in the 2008 Democratic primary election in Illinois' 14th congressional district. He was the 2006 Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative of the 14th District of Illinois, which he lost to Bill Foster (see Illinois's 14th congressional district special election, 2008). He ran against Republican incumbent Dennis Hastert, the Speaker of the House, who has announced he would not stand for reelection in 2008. Laesch is member of the Fighting Dems, former members of the U.S. Armed Forces who ran for election to the Congress in 2006.
Laesch was born in Liberia to missionary parents. A veteran of the United States Navy, he enlisted in 1995 and graduated first in his class from the Great Lakes Training Naval Center in 1996. He served as an intelligence analyst in the Middle East.[1] Following his honorable discharge from the military, Laesch earned a degree in history from Illinois State University.
Laesch has held various leadership roles in Democratic campaigns in his state. In 2004, Laesch served as the campaign manager for David Gill in Illinois' 15th congressional district.
Contents |
[edit] Politics
In October 2006, Laesch's opponent, Dennis Hastert, was linked to the 2006 Mark Foley scandal, which may have influenced the election to Laesch's favor, but not enough to defeat Hastert.[2] On November 7, Laesch lost in his bid to unseat Hastert, with Hastert winning 59.75% to Laesch's 40.25%.[3]
Laesch is employed as a union carpenter for Local 195.[1] He works for progressive issues,[4] and, in 2006, his candidacy was endorsed by the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the United Auto Workers (UAW), the AFL-CIO, and the Democratic Advancement PAC (Dapac), among other organizations. He frequently posts messages on the Daily Kos blog, and in his free time he enjoys biking, fishing, and working on the family farm.
On May 26, 2007, Laesch announced his candidacy for the 2008 Illinois 14th District Democratic Congressional nomination in an online video blog interview with Howie Klein.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Official biography.
- ^ "Hands on Hastert" is "hands off Foley". John Laesch for Congress (2006-10-02). Archived from the original on 2006-10-14. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ Associated Press. "2006 Unofficial AP results", Chicago Tribune, 2006-11-28. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ Harkinson, Josh (2006-10-06). Can Democrat John Laesch Take Down Hastert?. Mother Jones. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ Klein, Howie (2007-05-26). Blue America Live Vlog with John Laesch. Firedoglake. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
