6th District race starting to heat up

What looked like a sleepy election in the 6th Congressional District has received a shot of caffeine.

Two Democrats are eyeing a run at incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, including a top state official with a military background.

Retired U.S. Army Reserve Col. Jill Morgenthaler of Des Plaines is expected to announce soon whether she'll take the plunge and numerous political insiders predict her answer will be "yes."

"She's taking all the steps needed to prepare for a run," said a campaign spokesman. "We will be making an announcement this week."

Morgenthaler is Gov. Rod Blagojevich's deputy chief of staff for public safety and homeland security adviser. She has served 30 years in the military, including missions in Iraq.

Her experience already has drawn comparisons to Roskam's 2006 opponent, Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth, now Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs director.

The other candidate is Stan Jagla, a Roselle businessman with a background in finance and economics.

"I'm running because I want someone to represent the little guy," Jagla said. "The big companies and the rich are over-represented in Washington."

Jagla said his priorities in the Feb. 5 primary will be ending the war in Iraq and making health care affordable.

A Roskam spokesman said the Wheaton attorney would wait until the Democrats pick a candidate to comment.

The last 6th District election was for an open seat; Roskam now has the advantage of incumbency and a war chest of $609,000. He also has a formidable grassroots network of volunteers.

But some local Democrats and Duckworth are rallying to Morgenthaler's cause.

Duckworth said Morgenthaler has impressive credentials. She hosted an event in Lombard over the weekend to introduce Morgenthaler to friends but noted she did that as a private citizen, not in her capacity as a state official.

Addison Township Democratic Chairman Art Remus believes Morgenthaler has "a very good chance. The way she speaks commands attention," he said.

But Democratic organizer Bob Peickert, who heads the Operation Turn DuPage Blue group, said it's early in the game to pick a candidate.

"We're in the process of finding out where she stands on the issues," he said.

Morgenthaler has served in Korea, Berlin and Bosnia. She also was the Army's spokeswoman during the Abu Ghraib scandal over treatment of Iraqi prisoners in 2003. She has lived in Des Plaines for 17 years, originally within District 6 but her neighborhood was redistricted, a spokesman said.

Jagla who left his native Poland in 1986 to escape the Communist government, has lived in Roselle since 2000.

Of his likely opponent, Jagla said, "competition is always good, I'll let the voters decide."

The 6th District includes northeast DuPage and northwest Cook counties.