Why D'Amico Quit
Former Rep. John D’Amico says his decision to resign from the House came because he felt like “taking a step back” from politics.
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Longtime northwest side Rep. John D’Amico, who abruptly resigned from the House Friday says there isn’t much intrigue behind his decision.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for some time,” D’Amico said.
“I actually got a very good map, it was nothing like that,” he said. “You know, it was just one of those things where I felt like taking a step back right now and that’s what I’m gonna do.”
In fact, D’Amico’s district may have been one of the least impacted by redistricting, adding a bit of Peterson Park in Chicago to his district that stretches from the Sauganash neighborhood to Glenview.
D’Amico says the district needs to be represented by a moderate and said his potential primary challenger, Michael Rabbitt, should not be chosen for the seat.
“I expect somebody to be a moderate Democrat just like me,” he said. “I think that’s what wins the election. I don’t believe [Rabbitt] can win the election.”
Rabbitt is a progressive who was challenging D’Amico from the left.
While Democratic politics have trended leftward in recent years, D’Amico said he never had a problem bucking trends in his caucus.
“I feel like I was elected to represent what the people here wanted,” D’Amico said of his moderate voting record. “Each representative has the responsibility to vote the way their districts wants them to. The minute you start not doing that, you are going to be in trouble. I felt like I voted the way the district wanted me to all the time.”
D’Amico remains on staff as Political Director for Plumber’s Local 130 which, he says, keeps a lot on his plate.
He’s not ruling out a run for office again in the future.