Max Rice, the Glencoe Republican vying in the GOP primary for the right to take on Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston in the 9th Congressional District, insists his heart and politics are in the right place.
“I’m running for the right reasons and I’m totally serious about my campaign,” Rice, one of four candidates in the GOP primary, told Chicago City Wire. “I think the state needs what I bring to the table.”
Questions about his motives and whether Rice is serious about what he says on the campaign trail are prompted by an incident in which he “punked” hosts of the "Fox and Friends" show in 2012 after getting on the program by claiming to be an out-of-work recent college grad who planned to support Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama. Rice later claimed he was motivated to get on the show by the idea of proving that Fox News is a “fake news organization.”
“There have been a few establishment-type Republicans that have held it against me and given my campaign a hard time,” he said. “But I think they’re just kind of projecting.”
On the flip side, Rice said his Fox News past has gotten him a level of liberal credibility. “They know I will call a spade a spade,” he said.
Rice added the fact that talking about corruption is such a big part of his platform proves just how serious he is about his campaign and how much he wants to make a difference. He said his petitions to get on the ballot were not challenged by any of his rivals.
“I just listen to the voters, and corruption is the biggest issue for them, from education to health care it’s all about someone being greedy,” he said. “Most voters say they are done with system. Everyone’s tired across the board.”
But Rice insists he is undeterred, going door to door and walking the streets to spread his message.
“I think it’s immoral to just talk about things and not try to do anything about them,” he said. “This is 100 percent the right thing for me to do.”
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