Candidates for 5th Congressional seat facing possible ballot ouster
Two congressional candidates in Illinois' 5th District face challenges to their nominating petitions that, if upheld, could cost them places on the June 28 primary ballot.
Republican Kimball Ladien violated state law by notarizing his own statement of candidacy, an objection filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections alleges.
And Democrat Rami Blan's petition contains fewer valid signatures than the 400 legally required for ballot placement, a separate objection claims.
The newly redrawn 5th District encompasses parts of Cook and Lake counties, stretching between the Chicago lakeshore and the Northwest suburbs. The district currently is served by Chicago Democrat Mike Quigley, who's seeking reelection.
Blan, of Chicago, is Quigley's only Democratic challenger. Ladien, who ran for the seat in 2020 and also is from Chicago, is among three GOP candidates. The others are Malgorzata McGonigal of North Barrington and Chicagoan Tommy Hanson, who unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2018 and 2020.
Neither Ladien nor Blan could be reached for comment.
The cases will be heard by electoral boards selected by the Illinois State Board of Elections. If a petition objection is upheld, a candidate can be disqualified from running for a political party nomination.
The objection against Ladien's petition was filed by Chicagoan Ann R. Kotelman, state records indicate. The objection against Blan's petition was filed by Chicagoan Kent Sinson.
A Daily Herald review of Ladien's paperwork revealed he notarized both the candidacy statement and his petition pages. Under state law, notary publics "shall not acknowledge any instrument in which the notary's name appears as a party to the transaction."
The state elections board will meet publicly at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, in Chicago and Springfield, to assign these and other petition objections to hearing officers. Participation in the meeting also is possible using Zoom.
For more information on the meeting and hearing process, visit https://tinyurl.com/5n7u5hk2.
The general election is Nov. 8.