Oct. 28--Sharon Hansen, a Libertarian running for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, is a first-time candidate who recently reported just $53 in her campaign treasury and admits she doesn't even like politics.
Hansen, 63, owns a bed-and-breakfast with her husband in Pontiac. She's a cookbook author, a former nurse and a decided underdog in her bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin.
The Libertarian attracted the support of 6 percent of the respondents in a Tribune poll this month, far behind Durbin with 50 percent and Republican state Sen. Jim Oberweis with 36 percent.
Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed said they had never heard of her.
But Hansen, a Christian, said that God will have the final word. "The only person who has got any control over that is God, and if he wants me to be elected, I will be," she said.
Hansen, who believes the U.S. Constitution "should be followed to the letter," said that if voters are "sick and tired of politics as usual in Washington," they will cast a ballot for her.
She opposes hiking the minimum wage, wants to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and complains that the National Security Agency spies on "everyday people."
Hansen supports a flat sales tax to bankroll the government but did not specify the tax rate. "I'm not an economist," she said. "There are plenty of people we could rely on for that input."
Explaining her political evolution, Hansen said she was never satisfied with Democrats or Republicans and learned more about Libertarians during the 2012 campaign thanks to the candidacy of then-U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who ran for president most recently as a Republican but espouses many libertarian beliefs.
Hansen said she once thought Libertarians were a "bunch of crazies" but has learned they are "some of the nicest people I've ever met in my life."
Hansen, as of Sept. 30, had spent $2,367 on her Senate bid, much of that her own money, Federal Election Commission reports show.
kskiba@tribune.com
Twitter @KatherineSkiba
