This letter is in response to the article Senate race an uphill battle for GOP nominee, which ran in the March 20 edition of the Daily Egyptian. Reporter Kirk Mottram points out that the Senate race between Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun and Republican Peter Fitzgerald may well be a parallel to the 1996 race, in which Sen. Dick Durbin used the issues of gun control and abortion rights to distance himself and eventually win the race from the ultraconservative Al Salvi. While I don’t dispute any of this, I do take issue with Mottram’s referral to Durbin as a champion of abortion rights and gun control.

Not more than two weeks ago, I would have agreed. That was before Durbin completely abandoned those fundamental issues on which he ran his successful campaign. Durbin, instead decided that these were not issues important enough to consider while making endorsements. Not more than one week prior to the March 17 primary, Durbin carelessly endorsed the candidacy of Congressman Glenn Poshard for governor. He did this despite Poshard’s record of opposing any form of gun control and his opposition to a woman’s right to choose even in cases of rape and incest. Poshard is exactly the type of man Durbin warned the people of Illinois to stay away from in 1996 only then he was referring to Al Salvi. Now it seems as if Durbin feels those issues are of little significance with regard to the highest office in the state.

I am personally appalled with the lack of conviction shown by Durbin with regard to these issues, and I am deeply saddened that the Democratic party has chosen as its nominee for governor a man who stands against the rights of women and gays, as well as a man who has dedicated himself to not ridding our streets of guns. Furthermore, Poshard has been no friend to the environment either. Unfortunately, this November is going to result in a lack of a quality candidate for governor. This does not mean that people should stay away from the polls.

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Instead, I urge all citizens who are pro-choice, pro-environment, and pro-gun control to get out to the polls and find a third-party candidate if needed but vote and send a statement to Springfield that people like George Ryan and Glenn Poshard are not the type of people we want holding office in Illinois. It is also necessary that in 2002, we find a candidate who can challenge Dick Durbin in the Democratic primary, and be a true champion of abortion rights and gun control. To those who think that this can’t happen and that the voters of Illinois won’t remember Durbin’s betrayal I have only two words for you:Senator Dixon. Regretfully Signed, an ex-Durbin supporter and ex-Democrat.