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CHICAGO TALK SHOW HOST Nancy Skinner TO ENTER SENATE RACE IN ILLINOIS
Prominent radio talk show personality Nancy Skinner declared her candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois that will be vacated by Peter Fitzgerald (R) at the end of 2004. Skinner made the announcement today on her Sunday radio program, "Ski and Skinner," on WLS in Chicago .
Skinner has been on the air in Chicago since 1997, has been nationally syndicated for 2 ½ years, and is a frequent contributor to political debates on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. Skinner is a strong progressive voice on talk radio, a medium dominated by conservative hosts.
After a previous caller to the WLS program suggested that Skinner run for the seat, she received an overwhelming response from listeners encouraging her to do so. She recalled the message of the late Senator Paul Wellstone to stop looking for the perfect candidate, but to run yourself if you have conviction.
Conviction Skinner has.
Her many years as a political talk show host allowed Skinner the privilege of talking six days a week to people of all political persuasions about the issues that most concern them, making Skinner eminently qualified to be a voice of the people from Illinois . Skinner also believes that effective communicators are what the Democratic party sorely needs. "We Democrats keep sending the same bunch of well-meaning and honorable people up to bat, only to get our heads handed to us because we can't get our message out. You live and die in national politics by 30-second sound bites and slogans, like it or not".
With a weekly listenership at WLS of more than 70,000 in Illinois , and a national radio audience of five million, Skinner has heard the discontent of progressives who feel that the Democratic Party has been too timid in the face of constant right-wing assaults and an increasingly conservative mass media. "They want someone who will stand up to an administration that is dragging this country down economically, has actually made us less secure, and has flushed our prized international credibility right down the toilet. We can't afford the Republicans anymore. They're so fiscally reckless, I wouldn't issue them a credit card, let alone give them control of the U.S. Treasury", Skinner says.
Nancy Skinner has tapped a deep vein of discontent in much the same way that presidential candidate Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, has. The "Skinner Is the Winner" campaign held a celebration for supporters and volunteers following the announcement, at Cullen's Bar & Grill in Lakeview.
Skinner has a vast Internet following and plans to develop it as a fundraising tool. "I'm an unconventional candidate, but we live in unconventional times", Skinner said.
