Dozens of candidates for state and federal offices bundled up against frigid temperatures today to line up outside the Illinois State Board of Elections office. Their mission was to file petitions for the upcoming March 19 primary ballot, represented by surrogates and hoping to secure a top ballot position.
A crowded field including nominees for Congress, state legislative seats, and the judiciary arrived at the otherwise barren strip mall before the day’s 8 a.m. opening was met with optimism. Each candidate with their own stack of signatures will eagerly take part in a lottery to secure a favored position on the ballot.
In the race are 118 Illinois House seats, 23 of the Illinois Senate’s 59 seats, all 17 congressional seats, and 77 judicial seats are all up for election or re-election. U.S. Reps. Delia Ramirez and Nikki Budzinski of Springfield, both progressive Democrats, were among the candidates who braved the cold waiting to submit their petitions.
The sharp competition also saw Ald. Raymond Lopez seeking to unseat veteran U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in the Democratic primary. Similarly, Jesse Reyes, an Illinois appellate judge, vied to unseat incumbent Joy Cunningham on the state Supreme Court.
Some candidates opted for strategic camping outside the elections board office, including Cherita Logan on behalf of U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, who arrived in Springfield over the weekend. With the knowledge that the first in line would be first in line would be first for the lottery, Logan was ready to make sure Davis’ petitions would be filed as soon as possible.
For the GOP, Congressman Mike Bost began filing petitions to ensure his re-election as Darren Bailey, a former state senator, seeks to unseat him. Bailey, who with the advantage of running in predominantly Republican territory, didn’t shy away from taking aim at Bost, labeling him a “do-nothing congressman.”
Republican 6th District Congresswoman Jeanne Ives also filed her petitions on the first day. The incumbent Congressman Sean Casten and the current U.S. Representative Darin LaHood also filed petitions.
With the filing period ongoing, the primary race for Illinois state and federal offices is off to a chilly, yet heated start.
