Democrat withdraws from 8th District race

One of the candidates challenging U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean has withdrawn from the Democratic primary race, he confirmed today.

Jonathan Farnick, a 39-year-old computer consultant from Woodstock, said he quit because he believed another Democrat's objections to his candidate petition would've knocked him off the ballot.

"I didn't want to go through the whole thing of fighting it," he said.

Farnick's departure from the political landscape leaves Bean, a two-term incumbent from Barrington, and anti-war activist Randi Scheurer as the only 8th District Democrats in the Feb. 5 primary.

Scheurer challenged the veracity of Farnick's petition.

The campaign would've been Farnick's second for the 8th District seat. He unsuccessfully ran as a write-in candidate in the 2006 general election, in which Bean defeated Republi-can David McSweeney and Moderate Party candidate Bill Scheurer.

Bill and Randi Scheurer are married.

Three Republicans -- Kenneth Arnold, Steve Greenberg and Kirk Morris -- are vying to challenge Bean and will face off in a GOP primary in February.

Moderate Party candidate Iain Abernathy is also seeking the seat.

The 8th District includes northwest Cook, western Lake and eastern McHenry counties.