David Hale, a conservative activist from Rockford, Illinois has announced he will challenge the GOP’s Adam Kinzinger, the sitting U.S. congressman from Illinois 16th district.
Hale is a U.S. Army Veteran and a Registered Nurse with eight years experience in the Emergency Department. In 2009, he started the Rockford, Illinois Tea Party.
Hale made national headlines in 2011 when he caught the AWOL Wisconsin Senators who fled their state in an attempt to prevent what have since become highly popular and successful reforms initiated by Governor Scott Walker. Hale found and confronted the Senators on camera, who became known as the Wisconsin “flea-baggers,” at a hotel in Rockford.
In his first campaign press release, Hale said, “We elect people to go to congress based on the idea they will make wise choices. The voters do not expect direct consultations on every decision. We expect our Congressman to use their best judgment based upon what they have told us about their socioeconomic ideas, political values and personal beliefs. This forms the basis for what the citizenry expects from Representative in Congress…His record has not been to simply just ignore Constituents on the issue of Syria, but on many fiscal issues that are important to the 16th.”
Hale has been a harsh critic of Kinzinger over his support for war in Syria, and accused Kinzinger of not only carrying water for the White House, but rushing to judgement on the issue, “without apparent concern for the facts.”
Kinzinger originally rode the 2010 Tea Party wave into office when he trounced Debbie Halvorson (D) for the 11th district seat. Shortly thereafter, the Illinois congressional map was redrawn, and Kinzinger decided to challenge conservative-Republican incumbent Don Manzullo for Illinois 16th Congressional District seat. Kinzinger’s defeat of conservative Manzullo was the beginning of the end for any affection he still received from conservative constituents.
Kinzinger has since been a loyal establishment Republican, has cast numerous votes in direct opposition to the conservative platforms that first put him in office, been a vocal advocate for military action in Syria and has publically opposed efforts to defund Obamacare.
Earlier this month Mark Levin said, “Adam Kinzinger is a political fraud who betrayed the Tea Party, for which he’s now celebrated by left-wing kooks like the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank. It didn’t take Kinzinger long either. With dripping contempt for conservatives he solicited in 2010 to first win office, Kinzinger says he welcomes a primary challenge from the Tea Party. Let’s hope he gets one and his butt is kicked back to Illinois. Conceit and deceit are not admirable qualities.”
Hale told Breitbart News, “Adam Kinzinger has failed to put forth one idea that has advanced American interests while on the Foreign Affairs Committee and Subcommittee on Energy Policy and has completely failed us, when it comes to fiscal conservatism.”
Hale said he has received a lot of enthusiasm since announcing his candidacy and is looking forward to hitting the pavement with all of his supporters.
Hale is the first candidate to throw his hat in the ring for Illinois 16, you can learn more about him at ElectDavidHale.com.
Follow @RebelPundit on Twitter.