Little-known ballot name Illinois son

Romney, McCain, Huckabee or … Mitchell?

Sen. John McCain may have won Illinois Tuesday, but Republican presidential candidate James C. Mitchell walked away from Super Tuesday with 456 votes.

Not bad for a water plant operator living in Lindenhurst.

"I hoped Illinois would be a little higher, maybe if I had put a little bit more time in or put together a campaign staff of 10 or 15 people," Mitchell said. "People have helped me here and there, but you're talking to the lock, stock and barrel of the campaign."

Mitchell was one of nine presidential candidates on the Republican ballot Tuesday. He gathered more than 3,000 signatures to get on the ballot.

Of those 456 votes, Mitchell received 38 in Lake County, 64 in Cook County and 11 in McHenry County.

His name appeared on the New Hampshire ballot, where he received 30 votes and in Arizona, where he received 139 votes. Mitchell is currently working to secure a spot on the April 22 Pennsylvania ballot.

Mitchell, 64, decided to run for president after a failed bid for the 8th Congressional District two years ago. Mitchell's platform is centered on the Ten Commandments and a strong military.

"Running for Congress opened my eyes that running for a federal office is a much bigger platform for national issues," he said. "The sitting president and vice president were not running and I wasn't that impressed with the names being batted around. Moreover, I think the Republicans have left us out in the cold."

He is still on the fence over which Republican candidate he will support.

"If I could take a piece of each one of them and make a candidate, I would do that," he said.

Chris Taylor, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said the group supports Mitchell and all Republican nominees.

"We believe the well-educated voters will go out and make the right decision," Taylor said.

Mitchell has spent less than $10,000 on his presidential bid. He has made a few campaign junkets, to Florida, Georgia, Iowa and three stops in New Hampshire.

During one of his New Hampshire trips, Mitchell appeared in a debate for lesser-known candidates that ended up getting picked up by C-Span and aired nationally several times.

Mitchell chose the states he competed in based on how much it cost to get on the ballot.. New Hampshire cost $1,000 -- a stark contrast to the $35,000 it takes to be on South Carolina's ballot. In Arizona, all it cost was a 41-cent stamp, Mitchell said.

Mitchell, who works for the city of Highland Park, said he plans to run again for another high-profile office.

Whether it's Barack Obama's Senate seat or another presidential bid, he isn't sure.

"I think I take a more conservative message out to the American public," Mitchell said. "It's out there and people can ask the other candidates important questions."