Kankakee Times

Calling out “Ruling Class Kate” in campaign fliers, Lindsay Parkhurst, the Republican candidate for the District 79 state House seat, recently stepped up her game in earnest against her opponent — taking umbrage at state Rep. Kate Cloonen (D-Kankakee) for her campaign tactics while declaring unequivocally that “Home is worth fighting for.”

“(Cloonen) is unqualified and unfit to serve the people of our community,” Parkhurst said. “I will be the independent voice that we deserve and will work to rebuild Illinois.”

Parkhurst is, by her own description, not a politician, and she is wholly unafraid to call it like it is. When Cloonen’s election team recently circulated what Parkhurst considered questionable material, she stepped up to the plate immediately and took a swing of her own in a campaign flier.

“Ruling Class Kate is lying about Lindsay Parkhurst's views on Social Security and Medicare, federal programs that have nothing to do with state government in the first place,” Parkhurst's campaign flier said. “Aren't you sick of politicians who insult your intelligence? On Nov. 8, do something about it.”

As well as pointing out that voters’ perceptions of the differences between state and federal programs are more sophisticated than Cloonen appears to believe, the Republican candidate responded vigorously to “false attacks” by her opponent’s staff, alleging that Parkhurst wants to “cut federal programs like Social Security and Medicare.”

Parkhurst also issued a formal statement via her campaign website.

“Unbeknownst to Cloonen, federal programs cannot be altered or impaired by members of the General Assembly or any elected officials in Springfield," Parkhurst said. “These deceitful ads are the latest installment in Cloonen’s desperate reelection campaign.”

Adding that Cloonen just contributed $200,000 to House Speaker Mike Madigan  (D-Chicago), Parkhurst described the incumbent as just another cog in the “Madigan Machine,” noting that a vote for “Ruling Class Kate is a roll call vote for Chicago Democrat boss Mike Madigan," also saying Cloonen voted in favor of an unbalanced budget.

“These false attacks from Kate Cloonen are the latest installment of her desperate campaign to maintain her status as a career politician,” Parkhurst said. “Social Security and Medicare are federal issues – something entirely outside the influence and authority of politicians in Springfield.”

Parkhurst brings a reputation for supporting her constituents professionally, having earned an award last year for her pro bono attorney services rendered to citizens who could not afford a lawyer.

"I never planned to run for office,” Parkhurst said. “I’ve been focused on raising my family, serving my clients and taking care of my father, but my time of sitting on the sidelines is over. I’ve seen firsthand how entrenched politicians fail to help taxpayers and Illinoisans in need and continue to waste our hard-earned tax dollars while lining their own pockets."

With her fresh perspective, Parkhurst takes a firm stand on term limits, stating that career politicians must be discouraged so that the state can stabilize its budget, provide funding for education and thrive comfortably.

"Illinoisans deserve a state government that cuts wasteful spending, balances its budget and lives within its means," Parkhurst said.

This month, Parkhurst took a moment to reflect on Illinois’ legacy in order to maintain the larger picture. She reminded voters that the state was founded on a platform of freedom and opportunity — from President Lincoln to modern-era basketball star Michael Jordan.

Over time, however, Parkhurst said that as career politicians gained rigid control over the state’s finances, its average citizens began to suffer.

Focusing on the positive aspects of her campaign, the Kankakee candidate said via her website that she wants to end “the mass exodus of jobs and businesses” sparked by Illinois’ perilous financial status. Parkhurst touted losing the red tape, encouraging a business-friendly climate and growing Illinois’ tax base to regain prosperity.

“I’m working hard for families in Illinois,” Parkhurst said on her website. “Stand with me today.”