Abe Matthew Drops Out Of IL-3rd Dem Primary, Backs Marie Newman

CHICAGO, IL — Bridgeport attorney Abe Matthew has dropped out of the upcoming democratic primary in Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District and thrown his support behind Marie Newman, who is making her second run to unseat long-time incumbent Dan Lipinski. The two candidates appeared In a joint press conference Tuesday morning at the Bridgeport Arts Center where Matthew announced he was leaving the race, stating “I trust Marie Newman.”

Matthew’s withdrawal winnows the primary in the heavily Democratic district down to a three-way race between Lipinski, Newman and Rush Darwish, of Palos Hills. A victory on March 17, 2020, all but guarantees the winner the congressional seat representing Illinois’s 3rd District.

“We entered this race because there is a hunger in our nation for leadership on the issues of pressing concern for our people,” Matthew said in a prepared statement. “The mothers and fathers of our district struggle to put food on the table. We mourn the loss of our daughters and sons to gun violence. Our sisters and brothers fall ill, yet we watch them suffer because they cannot afford the cures. To the people of the 3rd District, my friends and neighbors, I will never stop fighting for you all. I will not stop fighting for you.”

Abe Matthew announces he is dropping out of the IL-3 Democratic primary.

Newman, who came within 2,145 votes of toppling Lipinski and one of Chicago’s longest standing political dynasties in March 2018, said Matthew’s endorsement “is very meaningful to me.”

“I’m honored that you’d like to endorse me and join our team,” she said. “I think we’re going to be so much stronge together, we share the same values.”

More socially progressive than Lipinski, Newman is running on a platform of a $15 minimum wage, Medicare for all, bolstering a green economy to create more good paying jobs, strengthening unions and protecting Social Security. Her first go-round with Lipinski was one of the most watched Democratic primaries in 2018. Lipinski has cast pro-choice Newman as an extremist, who has racked up endorsements from other progressive Democrats, including Lipinski’s colleague in the House, Jan Schakowsky in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District.

Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District encompasses sections of Chicago’s Southwest Side including the Midway corridor, and the south and western suburbs up to the Cook-Dupage border, and a small section of Will County.