By Dennis Conrad

A.P. writer

WASHINGTON—In a Chicago-area congressional district that’s long been home to Reagan Democrats, those challenging incumbent Rep. Dan Lipinski claim he has a major shortcoming. By their measure, he’s not a “true” Democrat.

They portray him as too conservative and a pal of Republicans, as well as a byproduct of nepotism because his father, the previous congressman, gave up the 2004 Democratic nomination and then used his clout to get his son named as nominee.

“Unlike Lipinski, I am a true Democrat and oppose the Bush administration right-wingers in D.C. and neo-con positions that are out of step with Democrats in the district,” said challenger Jerry Bennett, Palos Hills mayor and Illinois Municipal League president.

Also opposing Lipinski in the primary are Mark Pera, an attorney from Western Springs, and Jim Capparelli of Chicago, an attorney and Iraq war veteran.

A Capitol Hill newspaper last year listed Lipinski as the most endangered House Democrat because of a possible defeat in the primary. Although the congressman says he’s taking the challenge seriously, he brushes aside opponents’ criticism of such things as his opposition to gay marriage and abortion rights and their claims that he hasn’t done enough to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.

He acknowledges that he’s more conservative than some Democrats, but says his views reflect his district, which covers Chicago’s Southwest Side and nearby suburbs.

“It’s not what people think of as the left-wing agenda you often hear about from the Democrats,” he said. “I am not in the mainstream of Washington Democrats. I have no question about that, and I’m very proud of that.

“I am in the mainstream of Illinois 3rd District Democrats who are certainly not the same as Democrats in other parts of the country.”

Pera, the congressman’s best-financed and arguably most liberal challenger, complained that Lipinski “describes this district as if he were in a time warp.”

But Lipinski is not necessarily considered the most conservative Democrat in the Illinois congressional delegation. Often, Reps. Melissa Bean, who represents Chicago’s northwest suburbs, and Jerry Costello of Belleville, have been rated more conservative by private-interest groups, academics and others.

And Lipinski, who has voted with fellow House Democrats 95 percent of the time, has the backing of party leaders from Washington to Chicago, as well as that of the AFL-CIO, which gave him a 100-percent score on issues pushed by organized labor.

The congressman has become active on environmental issues, including successfully teaming up with a GOP co-sponsor to require energy-saving light bulbs in federal civilian buildings. And he says he has called for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, but not an immediate withdrawal with a fixed deadline.

Pera has focused criticism on what he considers questionable ethics. He said former Congressman William Lipinski is paid by transportation interests to lobby Congress while his son, a member of the House Transportation Committee, accepts their campaign contributions.

The elder Lipinski’s clients include Chicago-based United Airlines, and he has reported that for the first half of 2007 he got $140,000 from that company and others. Dan Lipinski has reported receiving campaign contributions from some of those interests.

“I’m not going to put up a wall of separation between my father and I,” Dan Lipinski said, (but) “my father doesn’t lobby me. He doesn’t ask me for anything for his clients.”

Despite Lipinski’s support from party bosses and an easy re-election in 2006, some Democrats still are upset about the initial help he received from his father, a 22-year House veteran, which allowed little room for anyone else to compete.

The younger Lipinski makes no apologies for his unusual leap to Capitol Hill.

“I don’t think this is really an issue for people back home in the district. …It’s very clear the voters have had an opportunity to choose me and they have done that,” he said.

Lipinski, a former professor at the University of Tennessee and former aide to five congressmen, landed a seat on the House Transportation Committee, and has sought the same role his father had as the point man for funding Chicago projects.

But Lipinski’s opponents scoff when he brags about bringing millions of dollars to the district for rail, road and bridge work, and say it’s no more than any House member could do in his place.

“We get that money in spite of him, not because of him,” said Capparelli.