WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has not endorsed a candidate in the Democratic primary for Illinois' 10th Congressional District, but a new flyer circulating in the district has still pulled him into the race.
Management consultant Brad Schneider is running against Ilya Sheyman, John Tree and Vivek Bavda in the Democratic primary, hoping to unseat Rep. Robert Dold (R-Ill.) in the general election.
In a new flyer, Schneider boasts of the endorsements he has so far received, including those from former Rep. Melissa Bean, the Chicago Tribune and the suburban Chicago Daily Herald.
Also on the flyer is a photo of Obama, featured in the section with the endorsements. Although the flyer never says that the president has endorsed Schneider, Sheyman is charging that the photo was intended to mislead voters into believing he has.
"I'm disappointed that Brad Schneider's campaign seems intent on misleading voters in this way," Sheyman said. "And, adding insult to injury, they're determined to conceal Brad's history of support for right-wing Republicans, like Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska, who is currently fighting to eliminate women's access to contraceptive coverage and has opposed President Obama's agenda every step of the way."
Except in rare cases, the Obama campaign does not endorse in primary contests. An Obama campaign official told The Huffington Post, "The campaign has not made an endorsement in this race."
Schneider's campaign did not immediately return a request for comment from HuffPost, but campaign spokesman Jarrod Backous told Politico, "We are not suggesting that we received an endorsement from the President, and we don't think any voters would take it that way. Brad has and will continue to support the President's agenda and has and will continue to say that proudly."
In the Democratic contest, Sheyman, a community organizer, has the heavy backing of many in the progressive community, including former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and MoveOn.
SEE the flyer:
