BIGGERT SAYS FOE'S AD `STOOPS TO A NEW LOW'

A negative campaign ad scheduled to begin running this week on cable
television has put an early end to any talk of a polite,
issues-oriented contest for a seat in the U.S. House from the 13th
Congressional District.

The 30-second spot from the campaign of Democrat Susan Hynes accuses
Republican Judy Biggert of misleading voters about her record in the
state legislature on a variety of issues, including taxes and health
care.

In a counterattack launched Tuesday, Biggert contended it is the
campaign commercial that is misleading.

"This ad stoops to a new low in dirty, negative campaigning," Biggert
said in a statement released by her spokeswoman. "People have had it
with the distortions, half-truths and nasty innuendo. They're turned
off by it, and I don't blame them. This is the kind of behavior that
sours voters on all politics, politicians and elections."

Biggert, 61, a three-term state representative from Hinsdale, also
demanded that the commercial be pulled.

She is running against Hynes in the November election for the
congressional seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Harris Fawell
(R-Ill.).

Hynes, 48, who owns a corporate communications firm in Naperville, ran
two years ago against Fawell.

The 13th Congressional District includes the southern third of DuPage
County and parts of northern Will and southwest Cook Counties. The
district traditionally has sent Republicans to Congress.

Biggert's campaign appeared to be particularly offended by what was
intended to be a humorous punch line at the end of the Hynes commercial.

The ad, which cuts between a grainy, black-and-white photo of Biggert
and criticisms of her record, ends with a voice-over that asks, "What
next, Judy? You didn't inhale?"

That seems to be a somewhat strained reference to President Clinton's
response during the 1992 election campaign to questions about his
experimentation with marijuana.

Tilden Katz, campaign manager for Hynes, said the reference was "a
humorous way of pointing out Judy Biggert's inconsistencies" and was
not intended to suggest that she had experimented with marijuana.

Katz said the campaign had no plans to pull the commercial, one of two
that were to begin running Wednesday on cable stations serving Orland
Park and Naperville.

The other spot shows Hynes greeting voters at commuter train
stations.

Katz defended the negative approach, noting that Hynes already has
released position papers outlining her stands on federal tax reform
and health care.

But Biggert's camp suggested it was strange that a Democratic
candidate would refer to the foibles of a Democratic president in
attempting to attack a Republican--in campaign commercials that do not
identify Hynes as a Democrat.

"I have never experimented with, inhaled, exhaled, procured, handled
or touched illegal drugs of any kind," Biggert said.

The statement released by Biggert's camp includes a lengthy rebuttal
to the attacks featured in the Hynes commercial.

For example, the commercial complains that Biggert "tells us she's for
cutting taxes" but was named a taxpayers' enemy by National Taxpayers
United.

The ad does not explain that Biggert was among a large number of
legislators placed on a so-called enemies list by a group of anti-tax
zealots for voting last year to approve a major school-funding compromise.

Kathy Lydon, Biggert's spokeswoman, said Biggert had opposed an
earlier proposal by Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar that would have increased
state income taxes to fund education. However, she later supported a
measure that raised taxes on riverboat casinos, telephone service and
cigarettes to provide $485 million in new funding for schools.

In criticizing Biggert for supporting a school-funding increase, Hynes
has adopted an issue that was used by one of Biggert's GOP foes, state
Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton), during the Republican primary contest.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry