Raymond Poe vs. Don Craven
...linois Criminal Justice System. Craven strongly opposes the death penalty on moral grounds. He says he “doubts the threat of execution is a deterrent for criminals and because the judicial system is ‘less than perfect’” (Olsen 2). Each stands on entirely different sides of the line on this issue, but each express strong support for arguments explaining their opinion of the death penalty. Several other issues were argued in several heated debates, but all were carried out with the utmost class and dignity as expressed in few elections. Raymond Poe has strong beliefs in agriculture and farming. He stresses these issues in debates. However, the recent addition of urban Springfield to the 99th District may not favor his rural opinions. The 99th has become a very urban area where it did not contain such large parts of Springfield the last time Poe ran for office (Farmer 1). Don Craven states that voters may not be interested in having a farmer represent them. He does not believe the new district will react positively to Poe’s highly agricultural opinions as it is now a City-of-Springfield district rather than a farm district (Farmer 2). Poe says that he really enjoyed his old district because it was very agricultural. He is not worried about the new district because he sees it as a changed district, one that leaves plenty of opportunity, with the addition of St. John’s Hospital to the district, to help Springfield (Farmer 5). Poe’s goals are local, he wants to help Springfield and the surrounding communities grow and develop into more prosperous neighborhoods. Poe raised funding for his campaign through twenty-two special interest groups including Credit Union Political Action Committee based in Naperville, Moline-based John Deere Corporation, and Distilled Spirits Council based in Washington D.C. (Finke 2). He also received $19,062 from the geographic areas of Springfield, Elkhart, Wood Dale, and Williamsville, Illinois (Contributions 1). $13,600 or 28.2% of Poe’s funding were strictly contributions of $500 and above. $6,466 or 13.4% of Poe’s funding consisted of contributions of less than $500. 58.4% or $28,114 of Poe’s funding came from other sources (Size 1). Don Craven raised nearly $34,000 early in the year and had a remaining $12,600 left upon the date of June 30. The two biggest contributions to Poe’s campaign were $1,000 from Springfield attorneys Tom Londrigan and James Potter. He reported no money contributions collected from political action committees (Leaders 2). Any contributions accepted by either of the men to help fund their campaigns does not necessarily mean that these candidates have any obligations to those organizations that contributed (Finke 2). Poe, being an incumbent, raised more money for his campaign than did his opponent, Don Craven. Raymond Poe is a Farmer and a Businessman who is quite accomplished in nearly all that he does. He is involved in Committees including Agriculture and Conservation, Appropriations-Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, Higher Education, and Personnel and Pensions (Raymond 1-2). He is fifty-eight years old and enjoys farming, being in the out doors, cooking and spending time with his wife, Carol, three children, and four grandchildren. He is an everyday citizen of Sherman, Illinois (Farmer 1). Don Craven, forty-six years of age, is an accomplished lawyer representing several newspapers including but not limited to the Northwest Herald (A,B,C’S 9). He attained his degree from Southern Illinois University’s School of Law in Carbondale all the while teaching legal writing. He was the editor for the Southern Illinois University Law Journal. He later joined his father, Judge James Craven, in 1986. Since that time, he has concentrated mainly on media law and the newspaper business. He is now a partner in his own law firm Craven & Thornton (Cops 2,3). Craven also has background representing Springfield neighborhoods (Olsen 2). Donald Cravens’ knowledge of the law is undeniable. His credentials and accomplishments are undisputable, making him a good candidate to run against the incumbent Raymond Poe Several debates between the two candidates took place. Several newspapers, including the State Journal Register and The Illinois Times, covered these debates. Local News Channels and Radio gave brief details on the issues covered in these debates. One radio debate on WFMB-AM discussed the member initiative program. Although several radio commercials were aired for both candidates, neither one took part in the use of slander. This was the only race in Illinois in which neither candidate used negative advertisement. Raymond Poe won ...