Pro-Trump Lauf Challenging Kinzinger
A promotional photo for Republican Catalina Lauf’s failed 2020 primary bid for the 14th Congressional District. She finished third in a 7 way primary. She has announced her intention to challenge Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Channahon) in 2022.
Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Channahon) has made a national profile as a conservative fed up with Donald Trump, angering Trump supporters in his district and around the state. It appears his defection from the Trump wing of his party has earned him a pro-Trump challenge in 2022.
Catalina Lauf, a former political appointee in the Commerce Department during the Trump administration, released a video Tuesday night, announcing she planned to challenge Kinzinger next year. In the video, she calls Kinzinger a “fake Republican,” who is “weak kneed.” (Kinzinger, by the way, was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force and serves in the Air National Guard.)
“During a time when the division in America is already out of control, people like Adam Kinzinger further fan flames by dividing our party,” Lauf said in her video announcement.
Lauf, 27, finished third in the Republican primary in the 14th Congressional district last year. She filed to run at her parents’ address in Woodstock in McHenry County, which is in the 14th District, not Kinzinger’s 16th district.
New legislative districts will be drawn later this year, it is not yet possible to know whether Kinzinger and Lauf will be drawn into a district that looks anything like it does now. In Illinois, you can run for Congress in any district in the state as long as you reside in Illinois.
Lauf became a darling of the pro-Trump wing of the party during her primary run last year, helping her raise more than $300,000 in a losing effort. She also appeared in a video during the Republican National Convention last year.
On her personal LinkedIn page, Lauf lists her occupation as Director of Heartland Global Resources, Inc., in which, she writes, “manage and advise a portfolio of growing companies and their product lines.” Heartland Global Resources, Inc. is registered with the Secretary of State by her father with an address listed at his home.
Outside of his criticism of Trump, Kinzinger has a reliably conservative voting record. Before he opposed Trump in 2020, Kinzinger had a 92% rating from the National Rifle Association in 2018. He received 100% ratings from the National and state Right to Life committees, American Farm Bureau Federation, and National Federation for Independent Business. He was rated 94% by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 77% by Americans for Prosperity.
We weren’t able to reach Lauf or her campaign. A Kinzinger spokesperson says its early to announce a campaign when we don’t know what districts will look like, but stands by Kinzinger’s record.
“Congressman Kinzinger has a proven record of leadership and integrity, serving the interests of his constituents and his country--not the sole interests of one man,” referring to Trump.