DuPage board hopeful withdraws from GOP primary
A second ballot challenge ended one DuPage County Board candidate’s campaign Tuesday, while other candidacies are in jeopardy, including an incumbent whose paperwork drew objections from a fellow Democrat in their uncontested primary race.
Milton Township Trustee Christopher Edwards on Tuesday withdrew from the county board District 4 Republican primary after learning two people were challenging his nominating petition.
Edwards collected 192 signatures in less than four hours on Dec. 5, the last day to file.
But in order to stay on the March 20 primary ballot, Republican candidates must have at least 189 valid signatures. In separate objections, Glen Ellyn residents Tom Wendorf and Sal Falbo both claim Edwards’ papers have too many invalid signatures.
Edwards issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon saying he was going to drop out of the race. He thanked everyone who helped with his one-day petition push.
“It was a valiant effort on their part,” Edwards wrote. “Unfortunately, time was my biggest enemy and we were unable to secure sufficient signatures to have my name placed on the ballot.”
Edwards dropping out means there won’t be a contested GOP primary in District 4. Newcomer Amy Grant of Wheaton and incumbents Grant Eckhoff and JR McBride are the only other Republicans in the race.
District 4 includes all or portions of Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Lisle, Lombard, Wheaton and Winfield.
Meanwhile, District 1 incumbent Rita Gonzalez’s re-election bid has hit a bump, despite having an uncontested Democratic primary.
Fellow Democrat Thomas Michael Castillo is challenging the nominating petitions for both Gonzalez and newcomer Maria DeAngelis-Vesey. Castillo, Gonzalez and DeAngelis-Vesey are the only Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for three District 1 board seats.
“It’s discouraging to see a nominating petition not filled out properly,” Castillo said. “If you are not able to figure out how to do that, it makes me question what type of elected official you would make,”
The Elmhurst resident said “at least 80” of the 210 signatures on Gonzalez’s nominating petition could be invalid. Democratic county board candidates need at least 152 signatures.
Despite the errors, Castillo said he might withdraw one or both of his objections for “party unity” and to do “what’s best for Democrats in DuPage.”
“I’m kind of torn,” he said. “You’ve got to turn in a petition right. But at the same time, it’s not really my style to knock people off the ballot.”
Attempts to contact Gonzalez and DeAngelis-Vesey were unsuccessful.
District 1 includes all or portions of Addison, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Elmhurst, Glendale Heights, Itasca, Lombard, Roselle, Villa Park and Wood Dale.
Other county board candidates facing challenges to their nominating petitions are District 6 hopeful Tom Sutton of Wayne and District 3 hopeful Joe Wozniak of Naperville, DuPage election officials said. Both are in contested Republican primary races.
District 3 includes all or parts of Bolingbrook, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Darien, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Lemont, Naperville, Westmont, Willowbrook and Woodridge.
District 6 includes all or portions of Aurora, Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Hanover Park, Naperville, Roselle, St. Charles, Warrenville, Wayne, West Chicago, Wheaton and Winfield.