North Shore congressional candidates split on Trump, gun control

March 02--For nearly two decades, suburban Republicans had a political name brand on the ticket in a North Shore congressional district as Mark Kirk won five straight times and Robert Dold won twice and lost twice.

Now the party is trying to rebuild in the 10th District, a rare swing seat that Democrats have had a tough time winning in nonpresidential years.

The three Republicans running in the March 20 primary are split over issues like gun control and how President Donald Trump is doing in office. The National Republican Congressional Committee hasn't picked a favorite among Doug Bennett of Deerfield, Jeremy Wynes of Highland Park and Sapan Shah of Libertyville.

Wynes, 38, is a lawyer who has worked for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He's been endorsed by former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, a national security hawk, and Republican organizations in Wheeling and Northfield townships. Wynes also is getting help from Gov. Bruce Rauner's 2014 campaign manager Chip Englander and former spokesman Mike Schrimpf.

Bennett, 55, has staked out conservative positions on social issues, opposing abortion rights and same-sex marriage in contrast to his opponents. He's a climate change skeptic who has won the endorsement of radio host and former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, as well as the Republican Assembly of Lake County and the Fremont Township Republicans. He's the only candidate in the race who has run for elected office before, having come up short for local posts three times.

Shah, 37, is a political newcomer and medical-malpractice insurance broker who said that if elected, he'd serve no more than six years. He has law and medical degrees and has put at least $200,000 of his own money into the contest. He's showcasing his medical background, though he said he never completed a residency and hasn't been licensed to practice.

The winner gets the chance to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider in a district where Democrats lost in 2010 and 2014, when home-state President Barack Obama wasn't on the ballot. In 2016, the district favored Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump 61-32 percent. This time, Schneider has no primary opponent and started the year with nearly $1.8 million in his campaign fund.

In winning the historically independent seat, Republicans Kirk and Dold generally were regarded as centrists. Wynes contends he fits that mold. He calls Bennett too conservative for the district and criticizes Shah as someone with "no record of public or political engagement."

"I have been involved in policy making for about 10 years, done a lot of work with folks in 10th District," Wynes said. "I saw an opportunity."

Wynes regards Shah as his main rival and has blasted him as a "Chicago Democrat donor." But campaign records show Shah has made only one political contribution before entering the primary. His $1,000 donation in 2016 went to Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg, who was elected to the U.S. House that year. Shah called him a friend and fellow Indian American.

Shah, meanwhile, has assailed Wynes as a "career politician," but Wynes has never held elected office.

In the last election, Dold was among the Illinois Republicans who ran hardest against Trump. Asked to grade the president's work in office so far, Bennett gave him a B+. He likes the Republican tax plan and Trump's choice of Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. "I think he's had a relatively good year as presidents go," Bennett said.

Shah and Wynes said they'd give Trump an "incomplete."

"Where I disagree with him most is on social issues: gun control, potentially, and I'm a pro-choice, pro-marriage-equality candidate," Wynes said.

Shah voted in 2016 but said he did not cast a vote for president, saying he did not like either major-party candidate. He praised Trump for his approval of the GOP tax plan and his support for Israel, including recognizing Jerusalem as its capital.

The three differ on other issues, too. On the Affordable Care Act, Bennett said the law's provisions were "never economically viable" and that the government "should not be in the business of providing insurance." Wynes said the U.S. should ensure "some form of care" for the elderly, the poor and children and that others should get tax credits to pay for insurance. Shah said he would not have voted to repeal the ACA without a replacement plan. He supports more transparency in the cost of medical care, tort reform and the ability of people to buy insurance across state lines.

On immigration, Bennett wants the border secured first and all immigrants who came here illegally dealt with next. He supports a path to citizenship, except for felons. But he wants people in the country illegally to go to the back of the line to apply, behind those who are here with permission.

Wynes wants enhanced border security and a path to citizenship for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but not others in the U.S. illegally. He favors immigration policies that show high-skilled workers preference. Shah said he supports resolving the status of the so-called "Dreamers" but said the U.S. otherwise should do all it can to curb illegal immigration.

On gun control, Bennett said "mostly" he does not favor more restrictions on gun ownership but wants the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to outlaw so-called bump stocks via regulations. Wynes and Shah support a ban on the sale of bump stocks and favor universal background checks.

Bennett is vice chairman of the West Deerfield Township Republican Organization and believes his conservative views will appeal to primary voters. In 2015, Bennett lost a write-in bid for the village of Deerfield Library Board; in 2013, a race for West Deerfield Township trustee; and in 2012, a run for the Lake County Board. Bennett, who graduated from Northwestern with a math degree, said his background in math and finance makes him a "particularly good problem solver" and he would bring innovative ideas to address problems such as rising health care costs.

"I look at politics as the act of deciding things," Bennett said. "I think I bring a lot to the table, and I would make an impact in D.C."

In recent mailers, Shah affirms that "being born here in the 10th District, this is where my heart has always been." Born in Waukegan, Shah said he left Illinois as a child and returned to the state nearly 20 years later in 2005 as a fourth-year medical student.

Property records show he has had a condo in the city since 2006, recently in the Residences at Water Tower, which is in the same building as The Ritz-Carlton. Asked how he divides his time, Shah said: "It's majority in Libertyville, but as work and other meetings take me downtown, I split time. I don't keep track every week or month."

After buying a new condo in 2016, Shah changed his voter registration in Chicago to reflect his new address. In May 2017, he switched his registration to Libertyville, records show.

Shah ran into trouble on his 2013 property taxes, according to the Cook County assessor's office. He claimed a homestead exemption for both his previous condo on Ohio Street and his Libertyville property. State law says a homeowner may get the exemption only on a "principal dwelling place." Shah repaid the deduction on his Cook County tax bill plus interest, a total of $526, said assessor spokesman Tom Shaer.

House candidates and lawmakers are required to live in the state they represent, not in a specific congressional district. The 10th takes in suburbs in Lake and Cook counties, running roughly from Glencoe to the Wisconsin line and from Prospect Heights to Fox Lake.

Shah's campaign noted that Wynes, the only lifelong Illinoisan in the contest, bought a house in the district in 2011. Wynes said he lived in Chicago beginning in 2003 and bought a condo with his wife in the city in 2007 before moving to Highland Park. He's contributed only to GOP candidates, state and federal records show.

Wynes has given his own campaign the least of the three, chipping in $2,700 compared to $200,000 for Shah and $115,600 in loans for Bennett. Shah started the year with more than $600,000 in the bank, Wynes, more than $200,000, and Bennett, just over $100,000.

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