Congressional candidates to meet in four forums
Candidates in two largely suburban congressional districts will debate the issues facing the nation in upcoming public forums.
First up, the eight Democrats running for the 8th District seat will meet Thursday night at National India Hub, 930 National Parkway, Schaumburg. The event will begin at 7 p.m.
The discussion will be moderated by Ishaan Srivastava, and it will be livestreamed on his YouTube channel, youtube.com/@TheIshaansshow.
Space is limited. Registration for in-person attendance is required at tinyurl.com/48svusjz.
The Democratic candidates are Junaid Ahmed of South Barrington; Yasmeen Bankole of Hanover Park; Melissa Bean of Barrington; Sanjyot Dunung of Des Plaines; Neil Khot of Hoffman Estates; Kevin Morrison of Mount Prospect; Dan Tully of Carol Stream; and Ryan Vetticad of South Barrington. Incumbent Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg is running for an open U.S. Senate seat rather than seeking reelection to Congress.
The 8th District includes parts of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties.
Also in the 8th District, two of the four Republican candidates will meet the public Tuesday, Jan. 20, in Schaumburg. Jennifer Davis of Huntley and Mark Rice of Arlington Heights will square off at 7 p.m. at Fairfield Inn and Suites, 700 National Parkway.
The event will be hosted by the Schaumburg Township Republican Organization. Radio talk show host Amy Jacobson will moderate the debate.
Two other 8th District Republican candidates, Kevin Ake of Elk Grove Village and Herbert Hebein of Chicago, weren’t invited to the forum, an organizer said.
Admission is free. Attendees should RSVP at stgop.org.
Over in Illinois’ 11th Congressional District, the four candidates seeking the Republican Party nomination are scheduled to participate in a forum Monday, Jan. 19, in Elburn.
Elburn Mayor Jeff Walter, Naperville resident Michael Pierce, Aurora resident Charlie Kim and Palos Park resident Tedora M. Brown are seeking the GOP nomination. But Brown may not be in the race much longer.
That’s because the Illinois State Board of Elections removed Brown from ballot contention last week after ruling she turned in candidate petitions that didn’t have enough signatures of registered voters. Brown is appealing that decision.
The 11th District encompasses portions of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties. The incumbent, U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville, is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Finally, Walter, Pierce and Kim will gather for a forum in Crystal Lake on Thursday, Jan. 22. The discussion is set for 6 p.m. at McHenry County College’s Luecht Auditorium, 8900 Northwest Highway. Brown was invited, but organizers don’t believe she is participating.
A meet-and-greet with the candidates is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
The event will be hosted by McHenry County GOPAC and the McHenry County Republican Party. It’s free to attend.
Republican candidates for the McHenry County Board’s 7th District and 8th District seats will participate in the Crystal Lake forum, too.
The primary election is March 17. Early voting starts Feb. 12.