State Rep. Harris endorses Steans/Harris endorses Steans for 7th District seat

State Rep. Harris endorses Steans
by Andrew Davis
Copyright by The Windy City times
2009-07-29
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=21920


Windy City Times has learned that State Rep. Greg Harris, who is openly gay, has endorsed incumbent State Sen. Heather Steans over challenger Jim Madigan in the 7th District race.
Harris told the blog Your Two Cents that Steans "has been a strong advocate for lesbian, gay and trans [ gender ] issues in Springfield, worked hard behind the scenes in the last few months to preserve funding for HIV/AIDS services in Illinois and is well thought of in the district as well."

Steans said in a statement that "Greg has been a true mentor and guiding force for me in Springfield. He is a voice for progressive policy change, most notably in human rights and health care reform. And I look forward to our continued fight for marriage equality."

Madigan—who will be the first openly gay individual in the state senate if elected—e-mailed Windy City Times, "An incumbent Democratic legislator will have the endorsement of the organizations who rely on Springfield for funding, as well as other elected officials within the party. I expect, understand and respect that.

"While I appreciate Rep. Harris' opinions on this race, I would think he, more than many, would realize how vital it is for all communities to be directly represented. I have worked hard all my life to put myself through college and law school, stand up for women's equality, and be an advocate for underserved populations. I look forward to working hard during this election and winning the endorsement of the people of the 7th District." Madigan added that he "did not ask for or seek [ Harris' ] endorsement."

The primary election will take place February 2010.


Harris endorses Steans for 7th District seat
By Amy Wooten
Copyright by The chicago Free Press
July 30, 2009
http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3750


Openly gay state lawmaker Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) recently endorsed colleague Rep. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) over gay activist Jim Madigan, who is challenging her for the 7th District seat.

Madigan told CFP that the news was “not a surprise,” in large part because he did not seek Harris’ endorsement.

“An incumbent Democratic legislator will have the endorsement of the organizations who rely on Springfield for funding, as well as other elected officials within the party,” Madigan added in an e-mailed statement to CFP. “I expect, understand and respect that. While I appreciate Rep. Harris’ opinions on this race, I would think he, more than many, would realize how vital it is for all communities to be directly represented. I have worked hard all my life to put myself through college and law school, stand up for women’s equality, and be an advocate for underserved populations. I look forward to working hard during this election and winning the endorsement of the people of the 7th district.”

Harris told CFP that Madigan running against a strong GLBT ally created a “difficult situation.” Harris added that while he thinks Madigan is “an incredibly smart and talented guy,” Steans is “a strong ally and supporter for our community, and when it comes down to it, you have to support the people who have supported our community.”

Harris endorsed Steans in her 2008 race against community activist Suzanne Elder. Steans has supported Harris’ civil unions bill, as well as other GLBT rights efforts.

Thus far, Steans has raised substantially more than Madigan, who held to his promise not to raise campaign funds while he was still interim executive director of Equality Illinois, a gay rights organization that has worked closely with Harris on his fight for marriage equality in Illinois.

The 7th District covers areas of GLBT-heavy neighborhoods such as Edgewater, Rogers Park, Andersonville and Uptown.