Motorists, be on the lookout for a man dressed in blue. He is walking along the highways and roads of the 70th Illinois Congressional District going from house to house – campaigning.

Joe Wiegand, a DeKalb County Board member and a Republican running for the state representative seat, said he is walking across the district to meet voters.

Wiegand has walked for the past two weeks, covering about 10 to 14 miles a day.

“I’m enjoying getting to meet just regular voters,” Wiegand said. “Those are the people who are gonna put this campaign over the top.”

He eventually made his way to Sam’s Family Restaurant, 4515 North St., Cortland, a place similar to many restaurants Wiegand said he has visited on his trek. People enjoying a lunch break were greeted by a smiling Wiegand.

“You really get a good feel for the community,” Wiegand said. “It beats a public opinion poll any day.”

Wiegand did his graduate work in public opinion at NIU. He said walking the communities provides him with a random sampling of people that is just as good as a survey.

Wiegand said walking and talking to people will make them see him in a certain way.

“Regular voters, regular taxpayers … hopefully as they meet me, they get a little sense that somebody can make a difference,” he said.

Wiegand has had some troubles in his travels.

He said he slipped a bit when trying to make his way over a snowbank on the way to the restaurant.

“I do that about four or five times every half hour,” he said.

Despite the hindrances, Wiegand said he enjoys the time he spends talking to people.

“I am confident that this is a good investment of time,” he said.

Wiegand said his motivation for the journey didn’t come from anything he read about in public relations or marketing books.

“This was kind of a gut instinct,” he said.

In addition to the positive feedback Wiegand receives from people he meets, he said he is confident about eventually getting downstate.

“I got faith that I can,” Wiegand said. “And there’s some folks who are in the state House who are waiting for me to bring my tool kit down with me.”