Evans won't run

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By Ed Tibbetts | Wednesday, March 29, 2006 1:21 PM CST | () comments

Derek Anderson/QUAD-CITY TIMES - BACK HOME: U.S. Rep. Lane Evans is caught in a pensive mood in September 2004 at his congressional campaign office in Rock Island.

A look at the Western Illinois counties that make up the 17th Congressional District.

U.S. Rep. Lane Evans’ sudden decision not to seek re-election threw the 17th Congressional District race into disarray Tuesday as a flurry of possible replacements were floated amid praise for the longtime Illinois congressman.

Evans, a 54-year-old Democrat from Rock Island, announced at midday that he would not seek re-election, a stunning end to speculation over his health, which began with the news last week that he had not been to work in more than a month.

“This is a tough day for me,” Evans said in a prepared statement. “But I have come to recognize that the time needed to address my health makes it difficult to wage a campaign and carry out my work as representative.”

Evans, first elected in 1982, announced in 1998 that he has Parkinson’s disease, and he has battled its effects ever since. He has struggled with slurred speech and found it difficult to walk. In his statement, which closed with the words, “Semper Fi,” the ex-Marine said the “window of opportunity” his doctor told him would exist after he was diagnosed is “now closing.” Evans said he will serve out the remainder of his term and then retire.

The congressman was not available for interviews Tuesday, but a spokesman, Steve Vetzner, said he assumed Evans would withdraw his nomination to run in 2006. Just last week, he won the party’s primary election nod without opposition.

That withdrawal will be the first step to replacing Evans on the ballot, a prospect Democratic leaders knew would come someday but one they did not appear prepared for Tuesday. Throughout the day, officials were trying to figure out details of the process.

They also were coming to grips with the prospect that what had been considered a safe Democratic seat may very well be up for grabs now. That is especially important in a year when the party is hoping to take back control of the U.S. House of Representatives. “This is turning out to be one of the things I was concerned about,” said Don Johnston of Moline, the Democratic committeeman in the 17th District.

District representatives on the state party central committee will convene a “congressional committee” to fill the vacancy, according to an official from the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Steve Sturm, legal counsel at the state board, said precinct committeemen make up the committee. But several Democratic leaders, even local election officials, said they believe county chairmen in the 23-county district will take the lead in choosing Evans’ successor on the party’s ticket.

Meanwhile, the list of names mentioned as possible Evans successors lengthened throughout the day.

Among the possibilities: Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline; Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline; Phil Hare, Evans’ district representative; Knox County State’s Attorney Paul Mangieri of Galesburg, who just lost a bid for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer; and Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert.

“I’m not sure at this point what I’ll do,” Jacobs said. Boland and Schwiebert both said they are interested in the job. Hare declined to speculate on his own prospects, but said Evans surely will weigh in on a successor. “It’s his seat and he wants it to go to someone who shares his values,” Hare added.

As of March 1, Evans had about $177,000 in campaign funds that could be spent on the race.

Some longtime Democrats predicted a struggle for the slot, though. “I think there’s going to be a big fight and a lot of disappointed people,” said Clarence Darrow, a former state legislator and retired judge from Rock Island County.

The one person sure to be on the ballot in November, Republican nominee Andrea Zinga, was low-key in her reaction Tuesday.

“I wish Congressman Evans the very best in his retirement,” she said in a prepared statement. “And I look forward to whomever my opponent is.”

She declined further comment when contacted by the Quad-City Times.

Zinga stirred controversy two years ago when she kicked off her campaign by saying Evans’ condition made him unfit for the job. Zinga, a former television news anchor, ended up losing the general election by about 21 percentage points.

She won a narrow GOP primary race over two other candidates just last week, but she starts the general election season with a nearly depleted bank account. As of March 1, she had only about $3,600 in campaign finances.

Republicans in Washington, D.C., see Evans’ retirement as an opportunity to pick up an open Democratic seat, a rarity. But they made it clear Tuesday that Zinga must put together an organization, a message and the financial resources to make the race competitive. “Andrea Zinga needs to take the first steps in raising money and putting together a team,” said Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Democrats expressed confidence in holding the district and downplayed Zinga’s ability to get elected. They noted her meager bank account and said she “politicized” Evans’ health in 2004.

The sprawling district, which includes the Illinois Quad-Cities as well as parts of Springfield and Decatur, voted by a 51-48 percent margin for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.

The district has been reliable territory for Evans, who was first elected after incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Railsback lost a GOP primary in 1982. Evans’ win came during the first term of the Reagan administration when the country was going through tough economic times, conditions that were keenly felt in the industrial Midwest.

Evans, a Vietnam-era veteran, established himself as a voice for vets early in his career. He spearheaded legislation that compensated Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange and fought for more funding for veterans medical care. He became the top-ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee in 1995 and also sat on the Armed Services Committee.

It was the Agent Orange legislation that was noted by several who praised him Tuesday.

“Service to his country has been a way of life for this man,” Kerry, a Vietnam veteran himself, said in a statement.

Praise also was heaped on Evans for serving his constituents. Even political opponents who criticized his liberal record pointed to his dealings with regular people, much of it augmented by a veteran staff.

Evans faced his greatest political challenges from Quincy television news anchor Mark Baker, who ran against him in 1996, 1998 and 2000. Evans won by just 4 percentage points in 1998, but he upped that to 10 points in 2000.

After that, his margins of victory widened and his district boundaries were redrawn to make it even more difficult to beat him. Last year, though, he settled Federal Election Commission accusations of campaign finance violations during the 1998 and 2000 election races and agreed to pay a $185,000 fine.

Questions about his health intensified when Evans took ill after last voting in Congress on Feb. 14. The news of his extended absence, which aides said was related to the Parkinson’s, broke last week and seemed unusual because he had one of the best voting records in Congress.

Still, activists expected he was steeling himself for the campaign ahead, and many were surprised that he would retire. “I was really shocked, of course,” Rock Island County Democratic Chairman John Gianulis said.

Evans’ aides still could not say Tuesday when he might return to his office or to the district.

(Reporters Barb Ickes and Kurt Erickson contributed to this article.)

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.

EVANS STATEMENT

Here is the complete text of the statement made by U.S. Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill., on his retirement:

“This is a tough day for me. I am announcing that I will not run for re-election and will retire at the end of my current term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“When I announced in 1998 that I had Parkinson’s disease, my doctor said that this condition would not interfere with my work and that I would be able to perform at a high level for a number of years. That window of opportunity is now closing.

“I fully expected that I would continue my work for the foreseeable future following this current break from the office. But I have come to recognize that the time needed to address my health makes it difficult to wage a campaign and carry out my work as representative. I will return soon and to the best of my ability complete the important work of this term in my roles as representative and ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

“This decision is especially tough because this job means so much to me. I believe strongly in serving people and working to make a positive difference in their lives. Every day has been rewarding and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish and the fights I’ve made.

“I thank my family and everyone who has worked with me — great friends, terrific colleagues, a dedicated staff, fellow vets. And I appreciate the support of people I never met before who would ask how I was doing and tell me to keep up the good fight. I’ll be doing that in the weeks and months ahead and look forward to thanking every one of you personally for all you have meant to me.

“To my constituents and veterans across this country, it is an honor and privilege to represent you.

“Semper fi, Lane”