Clarence Desmond Clemons is a Democrat. Charles “Chuck” Mobley is a Republican. But they are united in one goal-to oust veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. Cardiss Collins.
Clemons will get his chance in the March 15 primary. Mobley, who became the sole candidate for the Republican nomination to represent the 7th Congressional District when Shawn Michael Hanley was knocked off the ballot late last week, will have to wait until the November election.
The 7th Congressional District is a diverse stretch of city neighborhoods and suburbs. It runs from Lake Michigan through the West Side of Chicago, across the comfortable neighborhoods of Oak Park and River Forest, and on to the blue-collar towns of Maywood, Broadview and Hillside. All the candidates live in Chicago.
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Clemons has run this race before, in the 1992 Democratic primary. He was defeated by a 7-1 ratio by Collins, who went on to defeat her Republican opponent.
Mobley tried for the legislature in a 1986 race in which he received only one vote for every seven garnered by his opponent.
Clemons says he believes Collins has held the post too long and doesn’t come home enough. At 42, he says he has been toughened in life by his struggles to overcome the restrictions imposed by cerebral palsy.
“I would come into the district more and talk to people. I wouldn’t stay so distant,” Clemons said. “I would have forums and meetings to see what needs to be done. Look at our school situation, and you tell me where our priorities are.”
Clemons worked as a volunteer for former Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer when Sawyer was alderman of the 6th ward.
Repeated attempts to reach Mobley were unsuccessful.
Collins, 62, is the longest-serving black woman in Congress. She succeeded her husband, who was killed in a plane crash in 1972.
Attempts to interview Collins were unsuccessful. However, a list of priorities was provided by her Washington office. Health care reform, gun control, the elimination of insurance redlining in poor areas, and toy safety were prominent on the list.
Collins is one of the co-sponsors of the Clinton administration’s bill to reform health care. She has also sponsored a bill that would provide single payer national health insurance, which she prefers.
In the past year, Collins was at the center of controversies when she supported more gender equity in college sports and questioned whether raising standards for college athletes would hurt blacks.
Collins and U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) first raised questions about a redevelopment plan for the Cabrini-Green complex that will demolish six buildings, but then gave the plan their support, to the disappointment of some residents.
Residents of Cabrini-Green testified at public forums that they were concerned that poor families would be displaced by the $350 million program, which will transform the public housing development into a mixed-income neighborhood.
Collins and U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) engaged in verbal fisticuffs over federally funding abortions for poor women, but later apologized for “remarks made in the heat of battle,” according to news reports. The neighboring representatives agreed to work amicably while continuing to disagree on the issue. Collins supports the funding; Hyde opposes it.
Challenges have been filed against Clemons’ candidacy. He needs 929 signatures to remain on the ballot. No hearings have been scheduled to determine if he meets those requirements.
Hanley, the Republican knocked off the ballot last week, said Tuesday he plans an appeal.