Lake Zurich, IL – Nov. 23, 2009 – Eighth District Republican Congressional candidate Joe Walsh took a strong first step in separating himself from the field in the crowded GOP primary race over the weekend. He created a real bond with the members of a large debate audience when he acknowledged them as the real leaders in the grassroots struggle to change the direction the country is heading. The debate at McHenry County College on Friday night was jointly sponsored by Patriots United, McHenry County Young Republicans, and 912 Patriots of Lake County.

Early reviews of his debate performance have been very positive:

“The general opinion is Joe Walsh won the debate. He seemed to understand what the audience was looking for and told them exactly what they needed to hear. He started strong and ended strong, very good speaker, very polished.”
- 8th District GOP News Blog

“. . . candidate Joe Walsh . . . said there was enough blame to go around among Democrats and Republicans alike. He received thunderous applause when he said the GOP had to be returned to its conservative roots, ‘screaming and kicking’ if necessary.”
- Kevin Craver, Northwest Herald

Walsh’s opening statement, “I feel like I’m losing my country,” was met with applause and nodding heads among the more than 300 in attendance. Throughout the Friday debate, Walsh clearly set himself apart with his passion, articulate answers, and clear command of the issues. His case for taking the Republican Party and the 8th District back to their conservative roots found a home with the well-informed crowd.

According to Mr. Walsh, “It was my honor to participate in this first debate hosted by these three patriotic groups. They’ve been organizing and growing for months. I feel as they do about the direction our country is heading right now, and I hope to join them and help give political voice to their efforts. I got into this race because I’ve HAD ENOUGH of the higher taxes, skyrocketing spending, and expanding government advocated by Rep. Melissa Bean. The folks at the debate practically shouted that they’ve HAD ENOUGH also. Traffic to our website has spiked over the weekend and we’re signing up volunteers faster than ever before.”
To learn more about Joe Walsh and his campaign, visit his website at www.joewalshforcongress.com.