Thanks Mark Garrity For Encouraging Scott Harper To Run Against Biggert!

[orleans]

Democrat to face Biggert
Convention turns native into candidate
August 26, 2007
By Paige Winfield Staff writer
Scott Harper had no immediate political aspirations when he walked into the DailyKos political convention downtown earlier this month. But he walked out on the brink of running for the congressional seat held by firmly entrenched incumbent Rep. Judy Biggert.

By attending the blogger convention, Harper hoped to connect with some local Democrats and campaigns to which he could contribute.

When Harper introduced himself during a session as someone who would like to run for an office in 2010, Mark Garrity, a Downers Grove precinct committeeman, couldn't keep quiet.

"(Garrity) yelled out in the session, 'Oh, come run for us now against Judy Biggert,'" Harper said. "So I followed up on it."
The 46-year-old Oxford student had been focused on completing his doctoral thesis after spending the last few years in England. Now the thesis is on the back burner as Harper searches for a permanent residence in the district and launches his race.

Initially he was worried about how local Democrats would react to his bid since the last time he lived in Naperville was when he was a student at Naperville Central High School. After graduating from Wheaton College, he obtained an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Harper has embarked on his campaign rapidly, meeting for the first time with leaders of the DuPage Democratic Party less than two weeks ago.

At the end of Biggert's term in January 2009, she will have represented the 13th Congressional District for five terms.

Pointing at his MBA, Harper says he's a pro-business Democrat who supports free market solutions "whenever possible."

"I'm not a 'shoot-at-the-businesspeople' type of Democrat at all," he said.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/528680,6_1_NA26_HARPER_S1.article