One Krishnamoorthi challenger withdraws, another overcomes objection
The roster of Democratic primary challengers to U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg is down to two after a candidate withdrew from the race in the face of a pair of objections to his nominating petitions.
In the meantime, an objection against another candidate was overruled Thursday, keeping the challenger on the March 17 ballot.
Mohammed Faheem of Plainfield, who lists community leader and motivational speaker among his professional roles, withdrew his candidacy in the 8th Congressional District primary on Dec. 30 after two objections had been filed against him.
One of the objections was filed by Marilyn Ciucci of Roselle and Robert Frankel of Schaumburg, while the other was filed by Qudsia Ahmed of Villa Park. Neither objection had yet been ruled upon by the Illinois State Board of Elections when Faheem withdrew.
The objections questioned whether a sufficient number of signatures from registered voters of the 8th District were included on Faheem's petitions.
The objection to fellow candidate Inam Hussain's candidacy was overruled Thursday. That decision closes the case before the Illinois State Board of Elections, officials said, but objector John A. Runion of Hoffman Estates retains the right to appeal to the courts for a short period.
The objection addresses some finer points of Hussain's petition, including the presence of the title "Dr." before his name and that several pages did not identify the "county of the Circulators Affidavit."
Hussain, of Libertyville, identifies himself as a Pakistani American physician critical of what he sees as the pro-India stance of the Indian-born Krishnamoorthi.
Neither Krishnamoorthi nor challenger William Olson of Schaumburg faced challenges to their petitions.
Olson is a self-described author and publisher who says he's passionate about immigration law, criminal justice, privacy rights, educational equality, Department of Defense spending and environmental degradation.
Krishnamoorthi, who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that conducted the recent impeachment inquiry, said he is proud of his accomplishments in office and rebuffed any suggestion that he favors India or the interests of any other nation over those of the U.S.
No Republicans have filed to run for the 8th District seat, but the Illinois Republican Party has until June 1 to slate a candidate.
The 8th District is roughly centered in Schaumburg and includes areas of northwest Cook, northeast DuPage and northeast Kane counties.