
By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – A political outsider from the Chicago suburbs wants to be Illinois’ next U.S. Senator, saying he’s disgusted and angry with the status quo.
Dean Seppelfrick says in a statement released Thursday he’s a lifelong Republican and wants to receive the GOP nomination for Democrat Dick Durbin’s Senate seat in 2020.
In a YouTube video, Seppelfrick says Democrats and Republicans share blame for all the nasty bickering.
“We’ve been crippled by division, and our society now struggles to maintain the most basic level of civility,” Seppelfrick said.
“It will be politics as usual if we continue to return the same elected officials to their respective offices.”
Seppelfrick’s slogan is that he’s “not for sale.”
“You won’t hear the same tired rhetoric that’s been tested in focus groups, and I won’t torture you with parroted talking points that you heard already. That’s not who I am,” said Seppelfrick.
“I will leave those cheap political parlor tricks to my opponent.”
Seppelfrick is a 1985 Aurora University graduate, who says he’s worked for a major food retailer the past 18 years.
Durbin has strongly hinted he plans to run for a fifth Senate term. State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray of Naperville announced in January she’s challenging Durbin in the Democratic primary.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]