Walsh’s GOP rivals facing objections

By challenging 8th District Congressman Joe Walsh in the March 20 primary, two fellow Republicans hope to channel his success of two years ago, and come out of nowhere to defeat a recognized name.

But both 56-year-old Richard Evans of Villa Park and 48-year-old Robert Canfield of Palatine have two handicaps that distinguish them from Walsh: Objections to their candidacy petitions, and reticence.

In phone interviews with the Daily Herald this week, Evans and Canfield spoke only as long as they felt comfortable before cutting those conversations short.

Evans is a certified public accountant who once ran unsuccessfully for the McHenry County Board. Canfield is the owner of a commercial printing business who’s seeking elected office for the first time.

They are currently defending themselves in Illinois State Board of Elections hearings against objections filed by Schaumburg Township Republican Organization member Gerald Bromley, of Schaumburg, who charges they have an insufficient number of valid signatures on their petitions.

Bromley himself was bounced from the Schaumburg Township District Library ballot last year for failure to file the receipt of his statement of economic interest with the library, though he did file the original with Cook County.

In the 8th District Republican primary, a minimum of 600 valid signatures is required. Canfield collected about 640 names and Evans collected about 800, Board of Elections General Counsel Ken Menzel said.

Almost no candidate files a petition in which 100 percent of the signatures belong to valid registered voters of the jurisdiction they’re running in, Menzel said. Most petitions survive only by having enough signatures over the minimum to discount the ones thrown out, he added.

Evans had an administrative hearing on his petition Friday and Canfield will have his on Tuesday. But whatever the administrative findings are, a Board of Elections vote the week of Jan. 23 will decide the outcome of these objections, Menzel said.

Evans lived in Algonquin when he ran for the McHenry County Board 12 years ago. He says he was living in Wheaton when he filed his 8th District petition, but has since moved to Villa Park.

Evans said he wanted to run to give the 8th District a real working congressman, not a “showman.”

“I feel we can’t afford more of the same,” Evans said. “I think the results we’ve been getting have been pitiful. The fiasco of the debt ceiling brinkmanship was just embarrassing.”

Evans said Walsh’s original decision to run in the 14th Congressional District that his McHenry home had been redistricted into had a lot to do with his decision to get into the race. Walsh’s ultimate decision was to run again in the 8th Congressional District rather than face an expensive and tough primary battle against another sitting Republican, Randy Hultgren.

“I asked Walsh if he was going to run in the 8th and he said no twice,” Evans said. “Joe said, ‘I’m not running in the 8th, so go ahead, knock yourself out.’”

Walsh declined to comment on the Evans and Canfield candidacies Friday.

While Evans was dismissive of the objection against his petition as a political tactic, Canfield did not want to discuss his petition at all. He said his candidacy will be a positive one.

Though he has dissatisfaction with the current direction of the country and the state of the economy and job market, Canfield said he would not criticize Walsh, or anyone else.

“I’m running a positive and optimistic campaign,” Canfield said. “I’m listening now. It’s time for new leadership to step up. My character and trustworthiness are extraordinarily good.”

Canfield said he believes his background in business has given him an ability to write law, negotiate and improvise solutions.

“As a Christian man with sound integrity, I place importance toward citizens working to financially prosper and parents having time to raise children,” he said.

He said he could not point to any specific event that triggered his decision to translate his current dissatisfaction into a personal run for Congress.

Canfield said he plans to get his message out through the media, Google, and question and answer sessions at libraries within the 8th District.