2 independent candidates for Rep. 'Chuy' Garcia's seat removed from ballot by state board
CHICAGO - A state board on Tuesday voted to remove the names of two independent candidates from the ballot who hoped to succeed U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in the November general election.
If the decisions stand, Patty Garcia, the congressman's former chief of staff and sole Democratic candidate, could have a better chance at winning in November.
The battle over Garcia's seat came after he abruptly decided not to run for reelection last year before any others could join the race for an open seat, a move highly criticized by some in his own party.
What we know:
The Illinois State Board of Elections voted to accept a recommendation to keep Mayra Macias and Byron Sigcho-Lopez, a Chicago city alderman, off the ballot after their election petitions were challenged for a lack of valid signatures.
Macias and Sigcho-Lopez filed to run as independents for the seat representing parts of Chicago’s Southwest Side, southwest and western suburbs, after Garcia dropped his bid for reelection just before the deadline to run as a Democrat.
A state board voted to keep two independent candidates, Byron Sigcho-Lopez (left) and Mayra Macias, off the November general election ballot in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia. (Getty Images and Macias campaign)
Patty Garcia, no relation, who served as Rep. Garcia's chief of staff, was the only Democratic candidate to file in a safely blue district.
Getting on the ballot as an independent is no small feat. They had to get nearly 11,000 valid signatures from residents in the district to get their names on the ballot. For context, a Democratic candidate only had to collect 700 signatures.
Frequently, electoral competitors challenge the validity of their opponents to get them removed from the ballot.
Chris Getty, the mayor of suburban Lyons, also filed to run as an independent candidate. His petitions were not challenged, so he will appear on the ballot.
Lupe Castillo is the Republican nominee for the seat. Ed Hershey is the candidate for the Working Class Party.