By Ray Hanania

Finally, someone is making fighting crime the foundation of a congressional candidacy, and he is doing it with a strong plan.

Scott Kaspar recently launched his campaign for the 6th Congressional District, calling crime the number one threat facing the region. While everyone is talking about what to do, Kaspar is the only one with a plan to stop rising crime, also showing he has national ties to do it.

With him when he announced his candidacy was the nation’s number one crimefighter, Bernard B. Kerik, former New York Police Commissioner who served during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Ray Hanania

In launching his candidacy for the June 28, 2022 Republican Primary for Congress, Kaspar created a “Public Safety Task Force” and named Kerik the key adviser.

Six other Republicans are running in in the new 6th District, which technically has no incumbent. The other GOP candidates include Niki Conforti, Rob Cruz, John Ostman, Gary Grasso, Justin Burau and the mercurial megalomaniac, Keith Pekau. But none has come close to mounting a serious campaign or providing details on fighting crime the way Kaspar has.

“For far too long we have sat by idly as our elected officials have repeatedly let crimes go unprosecuted,” Kaspar said. “In Congress, I will form a bipartisan coalition of similarly-situated Republican and conservative Democrat representatives, and with the advice of Commissioner Kerik and my Public Safety Task Force, we will force Blue State governors like JB Pritzker to uphold the laws and prosecute all perpetrators of violent crimes.”

No doubt referring to incompetent officials like Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx (who is often described as “the criminal’s best friend” by her critics), Kerik said they failed to stop crime from spreading, including into the suburbs.

“But this is nothing that I have not dealt with before,” crimefighter Kerik said. “Mayor Giuliani and I worked side-by-side to enforce the laws in New York City and to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. I look forward to working with Scott Kaspar and his campaign to craft the action plan that Scott will bring to Congress to deter and prevent crime on Day One.”

I met Kaspar when he ran for office in Orland Township, leading a ragtag slate of controversial candidates put together by Pekau. Kaspar was smart and had great ideas that separated him from the rest. He obviously sees through Pekau’s empty rhetoric.

The 6th District is an open battlefield, which analysts say leans Democratic. The Democratic battle includes Congressmen Marie Newman and Sean Casten. Casten represents the old 6th District, defeating Peter Roskam and later Jeanne Ives in a landslide in which Ives received a paltry 45 percent of the vote — a pathetic performance for someone whose ego is overinflated.

But a strong Republican like Kaspar can take the newly remapped 6^th District, especially if Democrats remain divided.

The Republican vote also is expected to be stronger in this year’s midterm election for Congress. Traditionally, the party out of office always takes control of both the House and Senate. President Biden’s failure to deliver on his campaign promise to “bring America together” — he’s fueling polarization — will empower a GOP surge.

Regardless of the rest, no one is talking about fighting crime in Chicagoland the way Kaspar is, and that’s something that makes him stand out.

POLITICAL GRAPEVINE: Sean Morrison, who fell asleep at the wheel after taking over as 17th District Cook County Commissioner, got a wakeup call when his predecessor, Elizabeth “Liz” Doody Gorman, announced she is returning to the office that she turned into a powerhouse in her fight against unfair tax hikes. Gorman made fighting tax hikes her number one priority during her 13 years on the Board, earning the nickname “the tax slayer.”

Instead of fighting tax hikes, Morrison fought politics, incapable of working with anyone to stop taxes. Gorman, on the other hand, managed to repeal a sales tax by convincing Democrats to change their votes and joining her non-partisan anti-tax drive.

During Gorman’s leadership, she blocked tax hikes on telephones, electricity and gasoline. She forced a reduction in the Motor Vehicle Transfer Tax.

In typical Morrison style, instead of saying what he plans to do, he responded to rumors of Gorman’s candidacy for the Republican nomination by throwing mud. He can’t address issues. When it comes to taxes, he is so ineffective they call him the “Tax Maker.”

Gorman is a solid Republican. The secret to her success is that defending taxpayers is more important than politics. Elected officials must work together. Gorman works with everyone, while Morrison can’t work with anyone.

Check out Ray Hanania’s columns and political podcasts at hanania.com.