The die has been cast. Illinois Senator and Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete will run for the 11th District of the U.S. Congress next year.

The Senator made what looked like an easy decision to seek the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, who announced his retirement Sept. 21.

Weller made the announcement amid several questions about his ethics in connection with undisclosed land holdings in Nicaragua, his own business dealings while he promoted CAFTA (Central America Free Trade Agreement), and his assertion that he is exempt from disclosing his wife’s financial earnings because the two maintain separate finances. A public watchdog group called Weller one of the 22 most corrupt members of congress.

Still, his decision to retire, was said to have been unrelated to these allegations.

In the past, Weller has always been considered a strong candidate with a penchant for fundraising.

But with Weller’s House seat being vacated, an existing Democratic majority in the House, coupled with voter disapproval eight years of a Republican president, leaves the door wide open for a strong Democratic candidate to fill the spot Weller is leaving behind.

Halvorson, 49, is a strong candidate and she has little to lose and everything to gain. She is midway through her four-year term in the Senate. So, even if she loses the congressional race, she can remain in the Senate leadership. As the right hand of Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, Halvorson was expected to replace Jones when he decides to retire.

But Halvorson doesn’t intend to lose. And, she isn’t accustomed to it.

Because of her appeal to voters, she has been recruited for Weller’s seat in the past. She was still undecided until she went to Washington, D.C. and met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca, and other leaders in the Democratic party we well as fundraising organizations. It was only then that she made her decision to run for congress.

Halvorson, who served as the township clerk in Crete Township was a virtual unknown in political circles. First elected in 1996, she defeated longtime Senator, the late Aldo DeAngelis. Halvorson did her homework and learned quickly, rising through the ranks to become the first female to hold a role in the Senate leadership.

Halvorson has always had a good presence, and sailed through many elections, often times unopposed. That will likely not be the case in her bid for congress.

It has been reported that Halvorson asked the candidates to clear the field for her, since she has been promised significant funding.

As of this writing, Jerry Weber, the president of Kankakee Community College who intended to run, has decided that he will endorse Halvorson instead. And, sources close to John Pavich say he has dropped his candidacy as well.

It is expected that Tari Renner will also drop out of the race.

That isn’t the case for Robert Gorman, the real estate appraiser from Frankfort.

Not only is Gorman ready to challenge Halvorson in a primary election, but he is critical of how she made the decision to run.

Gorman was critical when it was reported that Halvorson said, the more she talked to people in Congress, the more she realized, "this is not about me."

"Frankly, I don’t think she has the slightest idea as to what this election is about. If she had to go to Washington to find out it wasn’t about her, … I mean, come on," Gorman said.

"She is quick to say she wants to get out of Iraq, but will she vote NOW to cut off funds? Or will she hedge and not commit to an actual withdrawal date like Hillary who says that troops will not likely be out at the end of the NEXT president's term - 2013," Gorman asked.

"That’s too late for me. I would vote for a bill that cuts off funding for the war and start bringing the troops home in six months," he said, adding that he would demand that they all be out within 24 months.

"I know what I think. I want someone (in Congress) who knows the issues and will vote accordingly, not someone who is so awed by political celebrities that she will do whatever they suggest."

Meanwhile, Republican potentials are on the increase, with the exception of State Sen. Christine Rodogno, who has ended speculation that she will run. She said she is happy in the Senate. In addition, she lives outside the 11th district. She has no intention of moving and would not feel right about representing a district other than where she lives.

New Lenox Mayor Tim Balderman, who is also the police chief in Chicago Ridge is considering a run. So is Joliet Mayor Art Schultz.

State Rep. Dan Brady from McLean County is considering it, as is Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force Lieutenant with tours over Iraq and Afghanistan. Chris McNeil, Frankfort, who ran unsuccessfully for State Representative in 2006, has noted his intentions, as has Jason King, of Normal. And in LaSalle County, the Republican Central Committee continues to seek a replacement for Weller.