9th District Candidate Takes on Powerhouse

Joel Pollak is trying to accomplish something that hasn't been done for 64 years. 

The 33-year-old Republican is trying to take a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Illinois' 9th Congressional District--which hasn't elected a Republican since 1946. He's taking on incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) who has been in office since 1999.

But Pollak remains determined to at least let the voters know who he is and sowing the seed for a long relationship with the electorate.

Pollak was sitting outside the Starbucks coffee shop at the Skokie Swift train station making campaign videos with a camera phone on Tuesday. His only concession to the sultry conditions was a loosened tie, as the young man who grew up just steps from the station tries to make the leap into Congress.

A Skokie native, Pollak attended Solomon-Schecter Day School and Niles North High School. After interning with Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL) and studying for six years in South Africa, his political viewpoints began to change.

"I really believed quite strongly that we needed an interventionist government to solve a lot of problems, particularly poverty," Pollak said, recalling his earlier political views.  "What I saw in South Africa is that interventionist government is not the answer.  Government can help, but it really has to come from the people in the private sector in particular."

With his fresh outlook, Pollak eventually returned to the U.S. and got his law degree from Harvard University.  It was there in April 2009, where Pollak became a darling with the right wing when he confronted Rep. Barney Frank at the Kennedy School of Government about whether Frank should shoulder some of the blame for the economic crisis. 

Pollak was soon appearing on many talk shows, and he said at that point, he was approached about returning to his hometown and taking on Schakowsky.

After giving the race some consideration, Pollak officially declared his candidacy in September 2009.  He has received the support of the Tea Party and his financial supporters include Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and restaurant entrepreneur Rich Melman.

While he is a Republican, Pollak said he doesn't want to be labeled one.

His street and yard signs play down party affiliation, and while he accepts the support of the Tea Party, the GOP candidate stresses he does not agree with the growing movement of discontented voters on every issue.  Instead, he is mainly interested in the novice political movement's advocacy of cutting government spending.

Schakowsky, who has consistently won more than 70 percent of the vote in her re-election efforts, has raised more than $1.2 million as of June 30 in a sign that she is not taking her seat for granted.  

"We're definitely running an aggressive campaign," Schakowsky said. "This is a year where the electorate is very volatile.  But ultimately I do believe that his values and positions are not consistent with the district."

Meanwhile, Pollak has raised more than $221,000 through June 30 and is not certain if cash will be coming from Republican campaign committees.

Despite the differences in funds and the Schakowsky's powers of incumbency, Pollak has not been dissuaded.

"She has won with large margins but she has rarely faced a very strong and concerted opposition," Pollak said. "I believe that many people in the district, including many Democrats, would like to see an alternative.

"I think this is a district that votes for the person and not the party," he added.  "Regardless of how good a year it is for Republicans, I think it is going to be a great year for our campaign."

When pressed what he will do if he cannot pull off the monumental upset in two months, he concedes he will have to pay off some debt and another run for office may be forthcoming.  Besides his law degree, Pollak is an author and has had small acting roles in films.

But his political aspirations have spurned hope in Paul Riel, a Skokie psychologist who was one of Pollak's early supporters.  In a state where a certain state senator from Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood had a successful career after losing a congressional bid in 2000, Riel was bullish on the prospects for Pollak's run for office or the candidate's other possibilities down the road.

"He is a very credible, intelligent candidate," he said.  "Even if he doesn't win this, the guy is going someplace."