Hastert rallies GOP troops for Oberweis

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ST. CHARLES - Former speaker Dennis Hastert swept into a political fundraiser Friday night to urge support for Jim Oberweis to fill his former Congressional seat. Hastert flew in from Washington D.C. to rally the troops at an Oberweis Family Fun Fest, prompting a brief standing ovation at the Kane County Fairgrounds. About 350 people attended the $25 a plate chicken and pork chop dinner, which included children's games and facepainting. The former speaker, who resigned in November 2007 before his term was up, came to rally Republican troops on behalf of Oberweis. Democrat U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Geneva, won a special election in March to finish Hastert's unexpired term. Foster is a scientist and businessman. Oberweis of Sugar Grove is an investment manager whose family is known for Oberweis Dairy, based in North Aurora. Hastert said the Republican agenda includes an energy policy that supports building nuclear energy plants, domestic oil drilling and alternative fuel. Hastert said Oberweis could be trusted to carry that agenda forward. “Jim is a no-nonsense kind of guy,” Hastert said. “He'll tell you the story the way it is. He will give you straight talk.” Oberweis said the big issue for this election is energy, including offshore drilling for oil, more wind and solar energy. “The Democrats are on the wrong side of this issue,” Oberweis said. “There is no reason why America can't become energy independent.” Oberweis spokesman David From said Hastert's support is a reaffirmation that Oberweis represents the same values as when Hastert represented the district. “He really knows what it takes to be a good member of Congress, and particularly in this district,” From said. “So he is uniquely qualified to say, ‘Jim's going to do a good job, he's the right guy at the right time.' ” Foster spokesman Michael Rendina said that Foster supports offshore drilling - but not in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - and he is open to a discussion of nuclear energy. “Bill understands that energy is a complicated problem,” Rendina said. “As a scientist, he has taken a independent approach to finding a long-term solution that makes scientific and business sense. That's why he supports an incresase in domestic drilling. And he is open to the idea of nuclear power plants.” He noted that Hastert's support is a plus for Oberweis. “But voters felt Bill was the best person for the job,” Rendina said. “And we hope they will come out and say the same thing on Nov. 4 that they did on March 8.”