2 independent candidates for Rep. 'Chuy' Garcia's seat might be kicked off ballot
CHICAGO - A state official recommended that two independent candidates running to succeed U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in the November general election be knocked off the ballot.
The Illinois State Board of Elections will meet on Tuesday and vote on whether to accept a recommendation to remove Mayra Macias and Byron Sigcho-Lopez, a Chicago city alderman, from the ballot after their election petitions were challenged for a lack of valid signatures.
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)
Macias and Sigcho-Lopez filed to run for the seat representing parts of Chicago’s Southwest Side and southwest and western suburbs, after Garcia dropped his bid for reelection right before the deadline to run as a member of one of the two major parties.
What they're saying:
Macias reacted to the recommendation in a statement:
"Byron and I earned our places on this ballot with over 34,000 signatures from the community. Patty García knows she can't win at the ballot box against serious competition, so she continues to try to remove their choices. Clearing your competition isn't a campaign strategy — it's disenfranchisement."
A spokesperson for Sigcho-Lopez's campaign did not immediately return a request for comment on the matter.
Rep. Garcia’s chief of staff, Patty Garcia, no relation, was the only other Democratic candidate to file in a safely Democratic district, a move widely criticized by those in the party as reminiscent of old-school machine politics.
Getting on the ballot is no small feat for independent candidates, as they had to collect nearly 11,000 signatures from residents in the district to appear on the ballot. For context, a Democratic candidate only had to collect 700 signatures to get on 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.
What's next:
The State Board of Elections will be meeting in Chicago and Springfield on Tuesday at 10 a.m.