Lake County Republican Central Committee Chair Keith Brin is angry about a new law eliminating the ability of political parties to nominate candidates for offices where no nominee was selected in the primary election.
He is planning a challenge.
“You only change the rules when you think you’re party is going to lose,” Brin said. “That’s exactly what the Democrats have done. It’s offensive. It’s terrible.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law last week — approved by the Illinois Senate and the state’s House of Representatives — no longer allowing local political parties to appoint people to fill ballot positions when there were no primary candidates.
Before the law changed, parties had 75 days after the primary — June 3 this year — to appoint a candidate. Brin said the individual then had to circulate petitions to gather the same number of signatures that would have qualified them for the primary ballot.
Brin said last month the Lake County GOP intended to fill all empty ballot slots, including one state Senate seat, and three in the lower chamber, by the deadline as long as they were “good candidates.” The new law only applies to Illinois General Assembly positions.
Not to be stopped, Brin said the county GOP has selected Benton Township Trustee Ashley Jensen to oppose state Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, in the Nov. 5 general election.
“She is getting her petitions signed,” he said. “When she submits them, we expect they will be rejected. As soon as they do that, we will challenge it in court.”
Independent candidates still have time to file nominating positions to be placed on the November ballot. Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said Saturday independents can start filing their petitions on June 17. The last day to file is June 24.
Though either Democrats or Republicans can assist a potential candidate in gaining a ballot slot as an independent and then work to get them elected, Brin said he will not take that route.
“We are the Republican Party, and our goal is to find Republican candidates and get them elected,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can to challenge this law instead of backing an independent candidate.”
In another race impacting Lake County, Daniel Behr of Northbrook filed his nominating petitions to oppose state Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, at 8:41 a.m. Friday after GOP officials appointed him to run. It was six minutes after Pritzker signed the new law.
In other state legislative races in districts that include parts of Lake County, three Republican slots and one Democratic position are unfilled. Along with Muhl, state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Gurnee, state Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, and state Rep. Tom Weber, R-Lake Villa, will be unopposed unless any challenge to the new law is successful.
Not impacted by the new law are candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives, countywide offices or members of the Lake County Board. Brin has already said the party will fill as many ballot spots as they can with “good candidates.”
Since the March 19 primary, GOP officials in the 9th Congressional District named Seth Cohen of Skokie to oppose U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, in November.
Attempts to reach Lake County Democratic Chair Lauren Beth Gash for comment were unsuccessful.
Chicago Tribune reporter Rick Pearson contributed to this story.
