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Voters in former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's district will choose a new congressman in a special election Saturday, but there's one thing they won't replace: his clout. Hastert funneled millions of dollars to the district during his 21 years in Washington, but his retirement means his seat will go to either Democrat Bill Foster or Republican Jim Oberweis _ two wealthy businessmen with no seniority on Capitol Hill. "That's something he (Hastert) had to earn. It will be a learning curve for whoever gets in there," said William Barclay, an alderman in the Chicago suburb of Geneva. Democrats are eager...

Update: Special Election Saturday in the 14th Congressional Race to Replace GOP Former House Speaker Hastert. . . Oberweis vs. Foster Posted by: mcpundit | February 28th, 2008 | Category: HASTERT RACE McPundit Comment: Back in July, we had an exclusive that former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was retiring as our source told us his staff had been informed to start looking for jobs; but also in July, Hastert said, “I’m running”. In October, he said he said he didn’t plan to retire; and then SURPRISE, HE WAS JUST KIDDING, he not only announced his retirement but he was also...

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert questioned John McCain’s Republican credentials today, saying he was always known among the GOP as “the undependable vote” in the Senate and always “allied with Democrats.”

GRAND BLANC -- On the evening before Michigan's primary, Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert had words of encouragement for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign volunteers. "You're work getting people to the polls and getting them to check the right delegate has paid off," Hastert told about 20 campaign volunteers and supporters Monday at Romney's Grand Blanc campaign operations center, 5225 E. Cook Road. "We can't do it without folks like you." Hastert -- who also has worked with Republican presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, and John McCain during his political career -- said Romney has the background and...

In his retirement speech on the floor Thursday afternoon, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said his heart will always be in the House and called for greater civility in the lower chamber. The former Speaker thanked his wife, Jean, who was in the chamber, and also recognized the dean of the House, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.). After Hastert was introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), members rose and applauded him for several minutes. Senate GOP leaders Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Trent Lott (Miss.) attended the speech and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) wiped away tears as Hastert spoke. Hastert...

Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, who served as House speaker longer than any other Republican, bade farewell to his colleagues Thursday, confirming that he will not complete his 11th term. Hastert, 65, did not say exactly when he will resign, but indicated it will be soon. He said his speech would be his last from the House floor. The 110th Congress will end in January 2009. He later told reporters, "I think I'll be gone by the first of the year." In his 16-minute address, Hastert recounted his career's high points, concluding: "It's time for this legislator to return to being...

The Roll Call newspaper in Washington reported on its website this evening that former House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois intends to resign his House seat later this year. The subscription-only site said Hastert, who had already announced he would not seek reelection in 2008, was calling friends and associates today and telling them of his decision. His early departure would create the need for a special election in his exurban Chicago district, possibly on Illinois' Feb. 5 presidential primary day. The 65-year-old former high school teacher and wrestling coach, first elected to the U.S. House in 1986 after six...

Aurora Republican state Sen. Chris Lauzen will announce today his plans to run for Congress, seeking the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert. "The reason why I'm running is I'd like to serve my neighbors by continuing to provide the best constituent service at home and then to reinforce those people in Washington who are using good judgment," Lauzen told the Daily Herald on Tuesday. The pending retirement of Hastert, the former Republican House speaker, is attracting a crowd in both the Republican and Democratic parties. On the Democratic side, Geneva scientist and businessman Bill Foster is...

Denny Hastert never met a problem he couldn’t solve. He was so good at legislating that it’s possible he would have been just as successful in his career had he never been Speaker at all. That is to say, Denny didn’t need the gavel to lead, but to a greater degree than many know, Congress needed him to govern. He was as committed a conservative and as loyal a Republican as I ever met, and yet principled liberals and partisan Democrats never had a harsh word for him. Whether as a back-bencher, as my chief deputy whip, or as Speaker...

WASHINGTON -- It is indicative of the bias that gusts through our media that when the most successful political strategist in memory, Karl Rove, retires from his powerful position in the Bush White House, the press reports his departure tsk-tskingly. Somehow Rove's departure must suggest his failure and disgrace. Or as some nitwit anchoring the midday CNN news broadcast, "Your World Today," put it when I was walking past a television monitor, "Does that mean the Bush administration is essentially over?" And we are told FOX News is biased. What about stupid? Well, who has been a finer political strategist...

(CBS) CHICAGO Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert is in Asia, but he's scheduled a news conference in Kendall County for Friday. CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports exclusively sources say that they expect Hastert to announce he will not seek re-election next year. In personal terms, it's been a big year for him and wife, Jean. Denny Hastert turned 65, and the couple just welcomed their first grandchild, Jack Hastert, to the family. He also had to surrender the speaker's gavel to a Democrat. While sources tell CBS 2 that he’s leaving Congress after 22 years, he’s ridiculed...

The congressional retirement season has started, and it appears former Speaker Dennis Hastert may soon announce his own plans to ride off into the sunset. The Illinois Republican sent supporters a letter over the weekend asking them to join him for a speech this Friday at the Kendall County Courthouse in Yorkville, Ill. The letter does not say whether he'll run for reelection in 2008 or announce his retirement, but speculation skews heavily toward retirement. And neither Hastert nor his aides have done much to dispel the widely accepted opinion back home that he'll call it quits. For example, an...

The US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday afternoon condemning a British call to boycott Israeli universities. The measure, approved 414 to 0, urged the European Union and governments around the world to reject the call by the leadership of the University and College Union of the United Kingdom to cease cooperation with Israeli institutions. The resolution describes the "senseless" boycott as "a dangerous assault on the principles of academic freedom and open exchange" and a move that "contributes to the deligitimization and demonization of the state of Israel." The resolution was the first bill freshman Representative Patrick...

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert "has indicated to a close former aide that it is likely he will not run for a 12th term from his northern Illinois district and may even resign from Congress before his present term concludes," Robert Novak reports. "That runs counter to widespread speculation on Capitol Hill that Hastert will continue in the House for another two years as a private member with no leadership responsibilities. Since last year's Democratic takeover of Congress moved him out of the speaker's office, he has enjoyed returning to his former specialty of energy issues as a member of...

Former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) will decide in a few weeks if he is going to seek another term, the Sun-Times has learned. Hastert, 65, is considering retiring, said chief of staff Mike Stokke. "I think that is a possibility," Stokke said. Stokke said Hastert "believes he needs to let people know by the next recess," referring to a congressional break in August. Hastert, who was the longest-serving GOP speaker before the Republicans lost the House in 2006, would be tempted to run again if he had work remaining on energy, health care, trade and anti-drug issues, Stokke...

Governor Mitt Romney Announces Support of Former Speaker Dennis Hastert Tuesday, Jan 23, 2007 Boston, MA - Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced that former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) will be joining the Romney for President Exploratory Committee. "I am honored to have the support of Speaker Hastert. As a leader in our Party and former Speaker, his long and continued career of service has been marked by a deep commitment to improving the lives of the American people. Under his leadership, Congress passed the most significant tax relief in a generation, and in...

Sources inside former Gov. Mitt Romney's camp tell The Politico that they've picked up yet another major Washington endorsement: former House Speaker Dennis Hastert. The Illinoisan is set to publicly endorse Romney today. Romney has cultivated the congressional wing of the GOP in an effort to cast himself as the consensus alternative to Sen. John McCain. Although the former Speaker is now just a rank-and-file member of the House, his support of Romney is a strong indicator of where much of the anti-McCain Republican establishment is headed. Also helpful to Team Mitt, Hastert still retains significant goodwill within the House...

It sounds like Iraq or some other foreign land, but it happened on U.S. soil last week. Outside Sasabe, Ariz., a band of armed assailants stormed a National Guard border post and forced the Guardsmen to retreat without a shot. It was a personal affront to the Guardsmen, who should never have been in the unnatural position of being incapable of defending themselves in the first place. But they were, thanks to the Bush administration's look-tough, act-weak immigration policy. *snip* It's past time to rethink this policy of placing Guardsmen at the border but defanging them with overly restrictive rules...

For a change it’s the Republicans who have some soul-searching to do after the elections. There is no doubt that the Republicans failed to control spending, failed to control illegal immigration, and failed to reform social security. Nevertheless, the biggest failure of the Republican Party has been communication with the American people. Ronald Reagan was the Great Communicator. George Bush can’t connect subject and predicate . Bill Frist looks like a doctor telling his patient that she has cancer and Denny Hastert just looks like he wants directions to the local pub. In spite of the proverbial six year itch,...

It?s pretty late at night and I?m not going to go into a lot of research but a rumor has been bubbling up that should be recorded ? even if it?s knocked down later as more information comes due. The rumor, substantiated by a number of people I?ve talked to who know the Denny Hastert people personally is this: Denny Hastert has determined to resign before his term as Speaker expires ? for one reason only. When you step down as Speaker your pension is calculated on your level of pay and Speaker?s pay is a lot more than that...