3rd Party Candidates For Illinois Governor File Ballot Paperwork

SPRINGFIELD, IL — The deadline was Monday to submit nominating petitions to the Illinois State Board of Elections for independent and third party candidates looking to appear on November's ballot. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrat J.B. Pritzker won their party primaries in March to earn their spots on the on the ballot, but several more candidates may appear alongside them. Under state law, major party candidates only need to collect 5,000 signatures, while everybody else needs to to turn in 25,000 valid signatures.

Conservative Party candidate Sen. Sam McCann of Plainview, who has served in the Illinois Senate since being elected as a Republican in 2010, wheeled in more than 4,500 pages of petitions containing 65,000 signatures. His running mate is veterans rights advocate and Marine combat veteran Aaron Merreighn.

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Libertarian candidate Kash Jackson, a retired Navy sailor, said he filed more than 47,000 signatures. State law requires his name appears on the ballot as "Grayson Kash Jackson, formerly known as Benjamin Adam Winderweedle until name changed on Aug. 29, 2017." The Libertarian nominee for lieutenant governor is Sanjeev Mohip of Skokie.

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Independent candidates who filed paperwork to run for governor include William "Dock" Walls of Chicago and Gregg Moore of Broadview.

Mary Vann-Metcalf of Chicago, also filed petitions to run, although WTTW reported she did not turn in any signatures and was due to be removed from the ballot by the board at its July 9 meeting.

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