Party backing money, and early attention reinforce each other. This elevates candidates so they seem like the only real options, while others are largely ignored unless voters go out of their way to find them.
Who you have heard of / been force fed
Robin Kelly
Juliana Stratton
Raja Krishnamoorthi
Who you may not know of
Sean Brown
Steve Botsford Jr.
Awisi A. Bustos
Jonathan Dean
Bryan Maxwell
Kevin Ryan
Christopher Swann
Adam Delgado (Write-in)
It frustrates me to no end. Voter education is my number one priority as a PC and the it is behind work I do for the League of Women Voters.
Excessive money in politics distorts elections and weakens the will of the people.
(example: Pritzter’s $5M to Stratton)
I TOOK ACTION
I reached out to all the affected (D) candidates for US Senate about a team effort. Five responded. Here is the letter that went out to US Senate candidates.
THIS IS CALLED A GATE KEEPING LOOP
First-time candidates — especially working-class, reformist, or movement-driven ones — never even get a chance to be heard by voters. It replaces voter choice with pre-selection.
Voters signed petitions—so why are their candidates invisible in the news?
After listening to the candidates thoughts, I put together a letter, they signed it, and it was sent to ABC 7…
ABC7 responded one day later offering the candidates an opportunity:
The two-minute statements will be posted on the ABC 7 Chicago website and ABC 7 Chicago’s digital platforms by Thursday’s forum, will be shared on the League of Women Voters’ online voter guide VOTE411.org, and will be mentioned during the forum broadcast. Additionally, each two-minute statement will run in full during ABC 7 Chicago’s Sunday morning newscast at 8 a.m.
At the ABC 7 website the the candidate videos are layered under advertisements. Again money in the way of voters.
*** THIS PRIMARY YOU HAVE CHOICES ***
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO VOTE FOR THE TOP 3 $$$
THAT HAVE BEEN HAND PICKED FOR YOU!
PROGRESSIVE
NO CORPORATE DONORS
NO AIPAC MONEY
NOW YOU KNOW
Sean Brown: www.seanbrownforsenate.com
Email: electseanbrown@gmail.com
Steve Botsford Jr. : http://www.botsfordforillinois.com
Email: info@botsfordforillinois.com
Awisi Quartey Bustos https://awisiforussenate.us
Email: awisiqbcampaign@gmail.com
Jonathan Dean www.dean4il.com
Email: info@dean4il.com
Kevin Ryan: https://www.runwithkev.com
Email: info@kevinryanforillinois.com
Christopher Swann www.swannforsenate.com
Email: info@christopherswann.us
Brian Maxwell https://www.maxwell4senate.com
Email: maxwell4senate@gmail.com.
