Hastert To Announce Next Week

One way or the other.  From Congressional Daily:

Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., the longest serving Republican speaker, will announce whether he will seek re-election next week, while a handful of candidates say they are already primed to run for the 14th District seat if it opens up. “I will probably make that announcement in the middle of August,” Hastert said in a brief interview last week. Despite speculation in Washington and at home that he will not seek a 12th term, Hastert declined to indicate which way he was leaning. An aide said today Hastert has not scheduled an announcement, but he will turn to his political future next week after he returns from a trip to Japan and China. The timing of the announcement is also driven by the Illinois election calendar, which allowed potential candidates to begin circulating petitions Tuesday. National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma applauded Hastert for not leaving House Republicans to defend an open seat in the middle of an election cycle. “He could have easily resigned immediately after the election,” Cole said in an interview just before the recess. “I am hopeful he will serve out his term.”
Wealthy businessman Jim Oberweis, state Sen. Chris Lauzen and Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns have taken steps to run for the GOP nomination if the seat is open. “We’ve been talking to people around the district and have been going everywhere around the district if Denny decides not to run,” Oberweis said. Oberweis, who runs a mutual fund and a family dairy, disclosed he might spend $2.5 million each for the primary and the general election. Oberweis has made three unsuccessful bids for statewide office. Lauzen, a former accountant elected to the state Senate in 1992, said his political strength lies in his grassroots network and that he already represents about 250,000 district residents. Taking a shot at Oberweis, Lauzen said, “When our group runs a campaign, we win, and Jim doesn’t.”
The Democratic primary field began to narrow this week as state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia announced she would not run. That leaves businessman and physicist Bill Foster, attorney Jotham Stein and 2006 nominee John Laesch as likely rivals for the nomination. Foster, who founded a company that provides lighting for major entertainment events, has indicated he might spend $1 million each for the primary and the general. Foster worked at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory with notable breakthroughs in particle physics. He jumped into politics last year when he signed onto the campaign of now-Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa. Although Republicans have historically dominated the 14th District, Foster’s campaign manager, Thomas Bowen, said Foster is prepared to run regardless of Hastert’s decision, noting that population growth has changed the district. “I am operating under the assumption that people are wedded to change, that either way it doesn’t matter,” Bowen said.