Frequent candidate Wardingly takes on Lipinski for Congress

By Hayley Carlton

In the 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from Bridgeport to the west, frequent Republican candidate Ray Wardingley is taking on first-term Congressman Dan Lipinski.

Dan Lipinski is 40 years old and lives in Western Springs with his wife, Judy. He was elected to the 3rd Congressional District seat in 2004.

Lipinski is a former University of Tennessee political science professor and is one of only a few members of Congress with an engineering background.

Controversy arose when Democratic Committeemen chose Lipinski, who had never held office, to replace his father, William, as the Democratic candidate in the 2004 general election after the elder Lipinski won the Democratic primary that year. William Lipinski served in Congress for 22 years and helped bring the Orange Line to Chicago.

Dan Lipinski said that in his first term of office he is most proud of the $126 million worth of transportation funds he helped bring to the Chicago area. He also has helped modernize the area’s railroad systems.

“Chicago is the railroad capital of the world,” said Lipinski. “One-third of freight trains come through Chicago.” Lipinski added that some of the railroad equipment used here goes back to the turn of the 20th century. He said he has secured $330 million for the first three years of a ten-year, $1.5 billion railroad modernization plan; part of it will build underpasses at street intersections that are the most congested from rail traffic.

Lipinski also wants to focus on affordable healthcare, raising the minimum wage, and securing the borders, although he said most immigrants “are not here to cause trouble.” He does not support pulling out of Iraq but admitted, “The war is going badly. We never should have gone in.”

Ray Wardingley is 71 years old and lives in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood with his wife, Karen. He has never held public office but has run for Congress against Bobby Rush in the 1st District. Wardingley's home was redistricted and now sits in the 3rd District.

In 1995, he was the official Republican candidate for Mayor of Chicago. H also has run for the 19th Ward Aldermanic seat.

Wardingley is a retired clown, comic, and entertainer who has appeared in commercials and raised funds for St. Jude Hospital by performing as Spanky the Clown. He also has been a taxi driver and run a limousine service. A disabled veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force, Wardingly also is a Mason.

If elected, the first thing Wardingly would do is work to limit Congressmen to two terms. “I would put [term limits] into law,” he said. He supports the Iraq war. “Nobody likes war, [but] you have to stay,” he said. “They’re killing their own people. We could have won Vietnam if we had stayed.”

Wardingley opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants. “The law states if you’re legal, you’re legal," he said. "If you’re not legal, you’re not legal. You’ve got to do something right now. Try to stop it” [illegal immigration].

Another issue of interest is ending raids on Social Security. “I would lock box social security,” he said. He also favors improved healthcare coverage for veterans, importing cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, and simplifying the government’s explanation of Medicare plans for seniors.