The Democratic and Republican parties--most notably the Republicans--fought to keep other parties and independent candidates off the ballot. Nevertheless, the Libertarian candidates will be listed.
Mike Labno is the Libertarian Party's candidate to represent Illinois in the U. S. Senate. He is a pro-life, state's rights advocate who believes the federal spending is out of control. He also says he is outraged by the recent federal bailouts of the auto and banking industries.
"I'm tired of that debt and the burden falling on the taxpayers of America. This is not just debt for me, but for my daughters, and it's going to have to stop," Labno said.
Labno says his perceived conservative views on fiscal matters make him a better choice than Mark Kirk and a target of the Republican Party, which sent lawyers to help so-called objectors to the Libertarian Party's petitions to get its entire slate on the November ballot.
"This is not about suppressing anyone's ideas. This is clearly only making sure that anyone who wants to get on the ballot has the right number of valid signatures," said John Fogarty, election law attorney.
The same lawyers represented the same Republican objectors who challenged petitions filed by the Conservative Constitution Party, which the Election Board Friday decided not be listed on the ballot.
"I'm probably gonna more than likely go as a write-in. I'm already working on the program to make that happen," said Mike White, the Conservative Constitution Party's nominee for governor.
Democratic Party as well as Republican-backed objectors filed lawsuits to keep independent candidate Corey Dabney off the ballot. He says he didn't have the dollars or staff to counter the legal harassment of major party lawyers.
"They pushed me off the ballot, but I'm going to run as a write-in," said Dabney. "The Republican and Democratic parties do not want the voters of Illinois to have a choice. They want the one they choose to put in front of them."
Libertarian Labno will be listed alongside Republican Kirk, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Green Party candidate Lealan Jones.
State Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady was asked if third party and independent candidates posed a bigger threat to his ticket this year.
"Anybody on the ballot poses a threat to the Republican ticket. So, we're running hard and continuing to run hard. It's hard to say one threat is more than another," Brady said.
While Labno could be a threat to Kirk, Lealan is considered in some circles as a threat to Giannoulias' Democratic base.
