Democratic Challenger Drops Out Again, Schakowsky Avoids Competitive Primary

CHICAGO — For the second time in as many election cycles, a Chicago attorney who announced a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) withdrew from the race less than a month after filing paperwork to get on the ballot.

Andrew Heldut ran as a write-in candidate in 2020 and collected 337 votes after being unable to get his name on the Democratic Party primary ballot beside Schakowsky, who has represented the 9th District in Congress for the past 23 years.

This year, Heldut's campaign's nominating petitions faced an objection from Linda Buyer, of Chicago, and Christian Sorensen, of Evanston. According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, the candidate withdrew his petitions before state officials could rule on that objection.

Heldut, 29, was previously an intern for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a student fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and a precinct captain for the 2017 Chicago City Council campaign of 4th Ward Ald. Sophia King, according to a biography on his campaign website.

An associate attorney with McGuire Law, Heldut is also the president of the Chicago chapter of the Government Blockchain Association. He did not respond to requests for comment.

Two Republicans are vying for a chance to face Schakowsky on the ballot, although it is up to state election officials to determine whether there will be a competitive primary on the Republican side.

Max Rice, of Northbrook, and John Elleson, of Arlington Heights, have both declared their candidacies and filed nominating paperwork.

Elleson defeated Rice and two other candidates in the Republican primary in 2018. Schakowsky subsequently retained her seat with more than 73 percent of the vote.

Elleson faces a pending objection from Northbrook resident Thomas Brown to the nominating petitions Elleson filed last month, according to the state elections board. A records examination in that case was due to take place Tuesday.