Free and Equal is hosting an Illinois gubernatorial debate at 7 p.m. on January 27. The event is at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, 5807 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago.
The primaries for the Democratic, Republican, and Green Parties are less than a week away, February 2. Six candidates are competing for the Republican nomination. Two of them, Adam Andrzejewski and Dan Proft, will participate in the Free & Equal debate. Neither of the two Democrats running will appear. Richard Whitney, the only candidate seeking the Green Party nomination, will appear.
Also attending are four candidates who are either the nominees of unqualified parties, or independent candidates. Each of them will be on the November ballot if the required 25,000 signatures can be collected. The deadline for that is in June. They are: Libertarian Lex Green, Constitution Party nominee Randall Stufflebeam, independent Dock Walls, and independent Michael White.
The Free & Equal debate is also co-hosted by 5 University of Chicago student organizations: Students for a Free Society, Students for a Democratic Society, College Republicans, College Democrats, and the student chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event is free.
A recent poll for the Republican debate reports these results: Andy McKenna 20%, Jim Ryan 16%, Kirk Dillard 13%, Adam Andrzejewski 11%, Bill Brady 11%, Dan Proft 8%. Also on the Republican ballot is Bob Schillerstrom, but he dropped out of the race last week.
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A debate before the *primary* election, but to which nevertheless _all_ legally qualified candidates who might be on the *general*-election ballot are invited? Hey, sponsors of HR 1826, are you listening? . . . :]
Randy Stufflebeam received 19,000 write-in votes in 2006. Once on the ballot, he has a great chance for very large numbers.
Democrats and Republicans only need to college 5,000 signatures. Third party and independent candidates must collect 25,000 signatures to get on the Illinois ballot. This is five times as many signatures! This is unconstitutional. Currently, over 2/3rds of the states nationwide ONLY require a filing fee to get on the ballot. Several leading Illinois election law attorneys are working on a brief in support of this that will be introduced to the legislature later this year.
correction: collect (not college) 5,000 signatures.