John Andrzejewski Candidate for State Representative- 43rd Legislative District, 1976 & 1978
My father ran twice for State Representative.
In 1976, he placed third of seven candidates in the Democratic primary. In 1978, he won the Democratic primary and lost the general election to George Ryan, Edward McBroom and Ray Christianson. At the time, George Ryan was the House minority leader for the Republicans. After the 1978 election, George Ryan became Speaker of the House, as the Republicans swept into the House majority.
My dad will say that he never ran for office vs. George Ryan, only! He ran against the entire corrupt system, because a fish cannot swim outside of water. My father ran against the political machine of Kankakee County. In a courageous effort, my father was unsuccessful. 30 years later, many Republicans as well as Democrats wish that John Andrzejewski would have succeeded.
Please review the attached George Ryan advertisement, which states that people should re-elect George Ryan because he is… “A Member of the Team for Good Government”!!
Here is a portion of my Father’s 1978 press release announcing his run for State Representative:
[John] Andrzejewski said in announcing, “My candidacy for State Representative offers this county the opportunity for solid leadership. The public has grown weary of tired solutions and stale answers which are not solving current problems. Whether in ignorance or simply misguided, our legislators have burdened us with clumsy responses to our needs and have aggravated many pressing problems. They are blind guides. I offer this district a new generation of leadership and a fresh start.”
30 years later, not much has changed in Illinois…
My father’s race was a family affair, as all of the children walked in parades, walked our neighborhood door-to-door fundraising, pitched in on large mailers and attended political events with my parents. The attached photos bring back many good memories. Even though we lost those races, we were on the right side of history.