South Side Pastor Endorses Oberweis

May 22, 2014 | Filed under: Elections,Justin Shimko,Politics | Posted by:
Rev. Corey Brooks announced his endorsement of Jim Oberweis for the US Senate. (Image Source: CoreyBrooks.com

Rev. Corey Brooks announced his endorsement of Jim Oberweis for the US Senate. (Image Source: CoreyBrooks.com

Rev. Brooks believes the Republican challenger has shown he cares about the area’s problems.

Jim Oberweis, the Republican Senate nominee facing Sen. Dick Durbin in November, picked up the endorsement from an unlikely location Thursday as South Side Pastor Corey Brooks, Sr., announced his support for the dairy owner.

Brooks, minister of New Beginnings Church of Chicago at 6620 South King Drive, said in a statement released by the Oberweis campaign that he wanted to “shake up the status-quo.

“I do not support Democrats or Republicans automatically,” Brooks said. “I support the men or women who are more likely to help our community, no matter what label they wear. Jim Oberweis demonstrated to me he cares about our problems and will work hard on the solutions.”

Last weekend, Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) volunteered at Brook’s #BrothersOnTheBlocks anti-gang event.

Oberweis expressed gratitude Brooks’ endorsement, saying “Pastor Brooks is a dedicated, courageous community leader who is fighting hard every day to improve the lives of people of Chicago and I’m honored to have his support. I want to help him improve his neighborhood and all neighborhoods in Illinois that have struggled under the political leadership of Dick Durbin and his allies.”

Brooks is known for his anti-crime and anti-gang work in Chicago’s South Side. He was in the news in February 2012 for sitting on the roof of a closed-down motel for more than three months in order to raise the necessary funds to buy the property.

Oberweis has made it a part of his campaign for Senate that Durbin (D-Springfield) has not served Illinois’ lower- and middle-classes. Since Durbin’s last election in 2008, Illinois has seen employment drop faster than the national average. Today, with the United States employment numbers nearing pre-recession levels, Illinois still has 350,000 fewer jobs and more people living below the poverty level.

Brooks said he believes Oberweis’ background in the private sector, both as owner of Oberweis Dairy and with his investment firm Oberweis Asset Management, coupled with his current focus on jobs, the economy and even school choice, could be beneficial for his parishioners as a US Senator.

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Justin Shimko

Justin Shimko is an award-winning writer and political analyst. He began as a reporter in his college days at the University of Oklahoma, writing for The Oklahoma Daily (rated as one of the best collegiate newspapers in the nation) and The Oklahoman, the statewide newspaper, winning awards from the CSPA and the Society of Professional Journalists. He later moved on to research and writing work for a number of political campaigns. His email is [email protected]

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