Kinzinger announces re-election bid

OTTAWA – U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger is running for a fourth term as 16th District congressman.

The Channahon Republican has filed his petitions for the March primary, gathering nearly double the signatures required to run.

Kinzinger thanked his supporters throughout the district, saying they are united in their desire to renew America.

“Since I was first elected, I have sought to provide servant leadership in Washington, D.C., and be a voice for the people back home. I will continue to work tirelessly for the families of Illinois, fight against government largess and incompetency, and provide the highest level of constituent service,” Kinzinger said in a news release Monday.

Kinzinger first was elected to Congress in 2010, and is on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he has worked on manufacturing issues. He also sat on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the 113th Congress, and has been outspoken on international and defense issues.

Kinzinger is an Air Force veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, and still is a pilot in the Air National Guard.

He will face Colin McGroarty, a Rockford technology consultant, in the March primary. McGroarty announced he would run at a July 16 meeting of the Northern Illinois Tea Party in Rockton.

The 16th District covers Boone, Bureau, Grundy, Iroquois, LaSalle, Lee, Livingston, Ogle and Putnam counties, and parts of DeKalb, Ford, Stark, Will and Winnebago counties.