Rock Island Today

The field of candidates for Illinois 17th congressional district has narrowed, as Republican candidate Mark Kleine has withdrawn from the race.

Kleine, who had given interviews to Rock Island Today in the past, said in December that grassroots political involvement was part of his platform and that he wanted to use his experience as a local businessman to try to help the state and local economies, saying his campaign was all about "jobs, jobs, jobs."

Now, according to reports from the Rock Island Dispatch-Argus, Kleine cited frustration with campaign-financing issues as a major factor in withdrawing.

Mark Kleine

Federal Election Commission records show Kleine raised more than half a million dollars in the first month of his campaign, while his opponent in the general election, the incumbent Cheri Bustos was sitting on over $2 million by the end of the third quarter.

"While I believed in the race and was confident in my chance at winning, I realized it would never be enough to satisfy the experts," Kleine said in a letter, according to the Dispatch-Argus. "At what point do we say enough is enough. How many millions of dollars does it really take to run for office? I've learned this is an industry that celebrates wasteful spending, encourages inflated campaign budgets, and has no regard for operational oversight just to 'win the race' but more importantly, for others to prosper."

With Kleine out of the race, the focus is on Bill Fawell, a Republican candidate for the 17th District seat.

Fawell's website states that some of his political involvement, including two books on the American economy and politics, stemmed from the financial crash of 2008, which had a major impact on the country as a whole.

"Our Constitution is not a living document, it is a manual of operation for a State of Liberty; our problem is we have ignored and abused it," Fawell wrote on a biography page of his website. "There is no separation of powers anymore in America as all the powers of Congress have been usurped to the Executive and Judicial branches of our federal government.  Further, anyone who tells you it's a living document, wants it alive so they can kill it.  With your irreplaceable help, my intention is to structurally restore it ... The Torch you will see in my campaign literature represents the Light of Liberty and the colors on its golden hilt stand for all races on Earth, because Liberty is for all."

A native of Dupage County, Fawell considers himself a "Ron Paul style" Republican, according to his website.

The Dispatch-Argus reports Bustos responded to the news of Klein's, saying "it doesn't change anything" and pointing to her record of working to improve the state's economy.