Seals back for another try at Kirk’s seat

Dan Seals is back for more, but the question is, has he worn out his welcome?

Seals was the well-funded challenger who fell to Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) in each of the last two elections. Now that Kirk is running for Senate, Seals announced Tuesday that he would run for the open seat Kirk is leaving behind.

But after losing twice, including in a year in which President Obama won Kirk’s district with 61 percent of the vote, it’s hard to see the Democratic establishment rallying around him in an open-seat race.

State Sens. Michael Bond (D) and attorney Elliot Richardson (D) were already in the race, and several other candidates are expected to join them.

Seals’s name recognition should be high after two consecutive runs, and that should help him in a crowded primary. And don’t forget, he turned away a well-funded primary opponent last year with a surprising amount of ease, defeating former Clinton administration official Jay Footlik 81-19.

Committees generally lose patience with a candidate once they’ve lost a few times, but Democrats might need to line up behind somebody else if they are to avoid another round with Seals.