Will County Gazette

After Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) raised $2.2 million in his reelection campaign, former President Trump appointee and challenger Catalina Lauf accused him of "working for the swamp."

“Adam will never stop working for the swamp, I will never stop working for the people of Illinois and the America First agenda,” Lauf told the Will County Gazette.

Lauf, whom Trump appointed in 2018 to serve as an advisor for the U.S. Department of Commerce, is running to unseat Kinzinger, the Congressman for Illinois’ 16th District.

U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (IL-16)

"While RINO career politician Adam Kinzinger is taking money from Democrats and D.C. lobbyists, we are building a grassroots campaign fueled by committed conservatives across Illinois' 16th District,” Lauf said in an interview.

The term RINO is a critical reference to party members who Trump supporters believe are Republican in name only (RINO). As previously reported in the Will County Gazette, Kinzinger launched a new political action committee to support anti-Trump Republican candidates and to go after fellow Republican congressmen and congresswomen, such as Florida’s Matt Gaetz, Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mary Miller in Illinois.

Approximately $1.1 of the $2.2 million Kinzinger raised is for his reelection campaign and a second $1.1 million is for his new super political action committee (PAC), Future First Leadership, according to Forbes.

Kinzinger previously said he used the PAC to donate $100,000 to support Republicans who voted to impeach Trump earlier this year.

Will County Republican Chair George Pearson said he is trying to raise money based on Kinzinger crossing the $2 million threshold. 

“The problem is a lot of our Republicans who are in higher offices are either too scared to speak up or they are part of it and don't want folks to know,” Pearson told the Will County Gazette.

The Will County Republican Party voted 111-5 on Feb. 18 to censure Kinzinger based on his push to impeach former President Trump. Kinzinger is one of 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump, but the Senate failed to convict the former president despite a majority vote in favor impeachment.

“I think he's just about out of the gubernatorial race because you've got Gary Rabine and State Rep. Darren Bailey who are powerhouses, which lessen his chances,” Pearson said. “Both of them can raise serious capital but as far as the U.S. Senate for the Republicans, no real contender has really pumped up yet.”

It has been widely reported that Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, was considering running for governor of Illinois or against Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth next year.