Pay raises cited in campaign

As the race for the 13th Congressional District draws closer to the finish line, Democratic challenger Scott Harper is criticizing Republican incumbent Judy Biggert's approval of pay raises for members of Congress.

At his Naperville campaign headquarters Friday, Harper, 47, pledged to vote against any Congressional pay raise if elected.

"Judy Biggert has ... voted against raising the pay of combat veterans and increasing the minimum wage but voted for giving herself $33,000 in pay increases over the past 10 years," Harper said in a statement.

Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn appeared with Harper at the news conference. Quinn has supported efforts to limit lawmakers' pay in Springfield.

"In these difficult economic times, we need to ask ourselves who really deserves a pay raise," Quinn said in the statement.

Biggert has voted for eight pay raises she has received, totaling $32,600, Harper's campaign said. Her pay did not increase in 2007, when Biggert voted with congressional Democrats to block the pay raise, the release said. Biggert's pay when she was first elected was $136,700 and is now $169,300.

But Biggert's campaign said it's misleading for Harper to characterize the increases as votes for pay hikes.

"She's never voted for an actual pay raise while in Congress," Biggert campaign spokesman John Noak said. "All of those were part of larger appropriations bills, for the departments of Treasury, Transportation, and Health and Human Services."

The cost-of-living increases for Congress ranged from 1.9 percent to 3.4 percent, he said.

Biggert, 71, of Hinsdale, is seeking her sixth term in Congress. In addition to Harper, she faces a challenge this time from Green Party candidate Steve Alesch, 53, of Warrenville.

Pundits have said Harper poses a serious challenge to Biggert. Harper has raised $632,000 and loaned himself $190,000 through Sept. 30. He had $333,000 on hand as of that date. Unions and attorneys are some of his largest donors.

Biggert raised $1.23 million through Sept. 30 and had $833,000 on hand as of that date. She is one of Congress' top recipients of donations from the financial industry, according to the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C.

Nathaniel Zimmer of the Sun-Times News Group contributed to this report.