Two former NIU students were prominent faces at the Republican National Convention Monday.

U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, who got his master’s in education from NIU in 1967, endorsed Republican President George W. Bush for reelection.

“He believes in peace through strength,” Hastert said. “He believes that the economy grows when the private sector grows, not when the government grows. He understands that government has an important, but limited role in the lives of the people.”

Hastert said that Democratic candidate John Kerry doesn’t have the same vision.

“He [Kerry] is on the wrong side of taxation, of litigation, and of regulation,” he said. “These are the job killers. They add costs to our products and put American workers at a disadvantage.”

Hastert also said Bush has the same vision of former presidents Lincoln and Reagan.

“Both President Lincoln and President Reagan understood that in order to be respected around the world, you have to have the courage to stand up for America … George W. Bush is a strong leader with the right vision for America.”

In addition to being Speaker of the House, Hastert is also a Congressman representing the 14th district of Illinois, which includes both DeKalb and Sycamore.

Former NIU student Antonio Davis-Fairman, who is running for U.S. Congress in the 7th Illinois Congressional District, also spoke at the convention. Davis-Fairman was a Huskie fullback from 1985 to 1987. He also founded the Delta Chi fraternity at NIU and was President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs. Although he attended NIU for two years, he did not graduate from NIU.

Davis-Fairman said at the convention he wants to repeal the death tax, preserve Social Security and education and require that sexual predators’ records must never be expunged. His campaign slogan is: “Building Gateways to the Future.”

Davis-Fairman is running against Democratic incumbent Danny Davis of Chicago