Libertarian seeking to be governor owes thousands in child support

Four Illinois governors have gone to prison in recent decades, after they won the office.

But one new candidate who filed Monday already faces a six-month jail sentence and could be locked up in a few weeks.

Born Benjamin Winderweedle, he served 20 years in the U.S. Navy, retired, then changed his name last year to Kash Jackson. He's just filed for governor on the Libertarian Party ticket. But he's already famous for failing to pay his ex-wife thousands of dollars he owes for child support and education.

“This is why they try and paint me as a ‘deadbeat father.’ Because I’m speaking about it. Anytime that they reduce a parent down to a visitor to their children, that justifies the state putting in support orders. And in Illinois grotesquely inflated support orders,” Jackson said.

Jackson, of Antioch, complains Lake County's Family Court is unfair. He promises, if elected governor, to reform laws on parental rights.

Also filing to run for governor was Republican State Senator Sam McCann. He's pro-life on abortion. Unhappy that incumbent Bruce Rauner and Democratic challenger JB Pritzker are both pro-choice, McCann says they're freezing out other voices.

“The Democrats and Republicans control the process and they don't want to share that. And the problem with that is that the people pay the price, while the party leaders, the party elites get fatter at the trough of the people,” McCann said.

A Lake County judge ordered Libertarian Kash Jackson to pay the overdue child support to his ex-wife by Aug. 6th -- or go to jail for six months. That means he could be locked up on Election Day, apparently a first for a candidate for governor of Illinois, several of whom got locked up after Election Day.