PEORIA, Ill. – U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood says the November mid-term election is incredibly important.
The Dunlap Republican told the crowd at Monday night’s Lincoln Day Dinner he could have seen the current state of the Biden administration coming, back when the President first took office.
“I was at Joe Biden’s inauguration a year and a half ago,” said LaHood. “I heard him talk about governing in the middle, and being a moderate, and moving the country forward. Here we are today, at an inflection point. I’ve never seen things worse in this country…whether it’s gas and groceries, whether it’s a lawless southern border, whether it’s out-of-control crime in our urban cities across this country.”
LaHood — up for election in the newly-redrawn 16th Congressional District — says he wants to see House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in his words, fired as a result of the mid-term elections, and have Republicans re-take control of the House.
Meanwhile, a candidate for another Congressional seat representing the area had the job of leading the Pledge of Allegiance during Pence’s trip to Peoria, fundraising for local Republicans Monday night.
“In 1954, President Eisenhower changed the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. He added two words…’under God,’” said Esther Joy King (R-East Moline), candidate for 17th District Congress. “As we say the Pledge together tonight, I would invite you…we’re going to say the Pledge. When we get to that phrase, when we get to those words, I invite you to put your whole heart and soul into those two words.”
The crowd of nearly 700 at the Peoria Civic Center did just that.
King is running in the Republican primary against fellow Quad Cities resident Charlie Helmick in the 17th District.
King lost two years ago to incumbent Cheri Bustos, who is retiring at the end of her term.
