Ill. State Sen. Napoleon Harris Enters Growing U.S. Senate Primary
Illinois State Sen. Napoleon Harris III (Dist-15th) is entering a growing field of candidates running for the state’s U.S. Senate seat.
Harris, a lawmaker since 2013 and a businessman, is challenging U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill) and Andrea Zopp, former head of the Chicago Urban League in the Democratic primary.
Immigrant rights activist Susana Sandoval also is seeking the post and Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin (Dist. 1st) said in August he is considering running for the job.
The winner of the Democratic primary will take on incumbent Mark Kirk, a Republican, in the general election in November, 2016.
Harris, a former NFL linebacker, said he wants to help create employment opportunities and provide more money to public schools.
“We need to properly fund education,” said Harris. “We need to stop the attacks on teachers. We need to get back to the basics of teaching and make sure that our children are properly educated. We always say we want our kids to be the best educated but we don’t do anything to fund them.”
Harris, 36, also said Duckworth was a “remarkable congresswoman” but his business experience in Chicago’s south suburbs gives him experience to “move the state forward.”
On Zopp, Harris pointed out that she has never been an elected official.
At the same time, Harris said “I think it is good that we have such a unique field of candidates.”
Harris’ entrance into the race pits him possibly against two other black candidates – Zopp and Boykin, if Boykin decides to run.
Harris’ candidacy could dilute black votes.
“I never look at it as splitting the vote,” Harris said.
Marian Perkins, who chairs the criminal justice, political science and philosophy department at Chicago State University, said that African-Americans should be concerned in this race with candidates’ views on issues that are important to blacks.
“We want a candidate who is going to be very sensitive to the needs and concerns of the African American community,” said Perkins, a former Cook County prosecutor. “It is not just about being black but someone who will advocate for the policies that benefit blacks.”
According to a Public Policy Polling in July, Duckworth had a 57 percent to 13 percent lead of black votes over Zopp.
Overall, Duckworth was beating Zopp by an overall margin of 59 percent to 10 percent, according to the poll. Duckworth was edging Kirk by just six points, 42 percent to 36 percent.
Duckworth picked up support from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. But Rainbow/Push’s Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. criticized the endorsement, saying the action was done “without proper vetting” of Zopp.
In August, Zopp, Duckworth and others were unable to get support from the Cook County Democratic party.
Instead, Democratic committeemen voted for an “open primary” for the contest.
In the last couple of weeks, Harris made news for allegedly underpaying several employees at his pizza restaurants.
ABC7- News Chicago reported the state Labor Department determined that Harris’ company failed to pay 40 employees a total of more than $23,000.
“It was misunderstanding and the situation is being handled,” Harris told the Chicago Citizen newspapers. “All the issues are being addressed. . . At the end of the day, I am a good father, a good husband. I genuinely care about people. I want people to know that I am not going to take advantage of people at any level.”
Harris owns pizza eateries in Harvey and Orland Park.
He first became a public figure as a football standout at Thornton High School in Harvey.
Harris, a former Northwestern University football star, was an NFL linebacker for seven seasons. He played for the Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs.
Reared in south suburban Dixmoor, Ill., Harris has a wife, two sons and a daughter.
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