* ABC7…

An Independent candidate running to replace retiring Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia is criticizing his office for what she calls active involvement in efforts to remove her from the ballot.

Mayra Macias won a temporary reprieve Friday when a State Board of Elections hearing officer delayed a decision on a petition challenge filed against her.

Petition challenges are common in Illinois politics. But in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Garcia, two Independent candidates say the tactics being used this cycle have crossed a line.

“Patty Garcia’s campaign used dirty machine tactics against the two Latino candidates to kick us off the ballot,” Macias said.

The challenge to Macias’ petitions was filed by allies of Patty Garcia, the congressman’s chief of staff, who is not related to him. The congressman used a back-door maneuver that ensured she was the only Democrat to appear on the primary ballot.

* I interviewed Macías in December…

Miller: Independent candidates. I mean, this is a straight uphill climb, right? People I’ve talked to say you will definitely be able to raise some money, significant money, even, at least enough to hire the people that you’ll need to collect, what is it, almost 11,000 valid signatures? But I mean… and I hate to ask a process question, but if you’re going to run as an independent or third party, it’s an important question. How the heck do you even see in a… midterm election, in a very partisan environment, where do you see the path for an independent candidate in a district like that, which is overwhelmingly Democratic?

Macías: Very valid question. You won’t be surprised to hear that you’re not the first person to ask me that. But the bottom line is, I’m a Democrat. Yes, I’m running as an independent, but I would have run as a Democrat had the process been open and fair. And why I am launching now is because, as you pointed out, we need the resources to hire the team and build the infrastructure to not only get the petitions to get on the ballot, but to get my message out. And I actually see the petition collection process as an incredible opportunity for me to engage with voters all over the district, hear what concerns are top of mind to them. But also have them get to know me in the process of getting their signature. And ultimately, it’s gonna take a lot of resources to get my message out there, because I won’t have a D next to my name. But what I do have is a passion and belief in the in the policies that I’m advocating for and this feeling that people are tired of the status quo. They’re tired of politics as usual. And I’ve gotten a lot of energized engagement, folks that don’t know me that DM’d me after the news came out, you know, week and a half ago, wanting [help me]. I’ve never met these people. They’re complete strangers. They DM me on Instagram. There is an energy out there right now, and I’m excited to be able to give folks a choice and be a vessel for them, funnel their energy and their excitement and their readiness for something new. You know, we have three other robust primaries happening in the state, and we’re seeing a shift in generational leadership, and I am excited to be part of that shift, and ready to do the hard work raising the resources to get my message out there, because ultimately, I know my message is going to resonate with voters.

Maybe not.

* From Byron Sigcho Lopez’s campaign…

With two Independent candidates threatening to give voters a choice in Illinois’ 4th Congressional District, allies of JB Pritzker, Chuy García and Patty Garcia are splurging money and power to muscle the ballot away from voters.

Democratic machine-backed attorney Ed Mullen is leading the effort to knock two Independent candidates off the ballot in one of the most Latino congressional districts in the country – all while Patty Garcia remains in hiding and unresponsive to reporters’ questions and voters’ calls for her to drop her challenge. Patty was caught on camera talking to Sigcho Lopez in March agreeing that voters deserve a choice on the ballot and saying, “we have an opportunity to make that happen.”

The appearance of a political maneuver at the Illinois State Board of Elections: The hearing officer assigned to the challenge against Democratic Socialist Byron Sigcho Lopez’s petitions met with the campaign’s attorney yesterday and laid out the logistics in anticipation of an assigned hearing at 12 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2026. Then shortly after yesterday’s meeting, and without any prior indication, an Order was abruptly handed down from the BOE saying hearing officer Chris Agrella “resigned” and has been replaced with hearing officer Barbara Goodman (see BOE order linked here). The board of the Illinois State Board of Elections is appointed by Governor JB Pritzker.

Splurging on a $600/hour handwriting expert: Separately, the objectors working on behalf of García, Garcia and Pritzker have hired Kevin Kulbacki, a $600/hour handwriting expert previously hired by the DNC in 2024, to comb through Mayra Macías’ affidavits. Fees are expected to total upwards of $50,000-$100,000. (handwriting expert’s report linked here)

All of this is in addition to a deliberately cumbersome and costly petition records exam for Sigcho Lopez’s campaign in Springfield at 13 exam stations from 9 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12 – meaning voter-funded transportation and lodging expenses for 13 volunteers and taxpayer-funded overtime pay for Illinois State Board of Elections staff. It was also an unusual records exam that included an armed security officer identified as Springfield police and the rule that campaign volunteers were not allowed to use the bathrooms at the Board of Elections and were told to use the gas station across the way.

During that exam, the two people representing the group objecting to Sigcho Lopez’s petition signatures were Patricia Pace Halpin, who said she was sent by Aaron Ladzinski from the Governor’s team, and Bill Velazquez, a registered Illinois lobbyist and disgraced Chuy ally. Sign-in log linked here.

* I asked the Illinois State Board of Elections about the restroom allegations…

It is standard practice for the State Board of Elections to open as many stations as possible for record exams and to add evening shifts in an effort to conduct reviews as efficiently as possible. The agency’s main office in Springfield has sufficient space and staff — 61 employees compared to 13 in the Chicago office — to accommodate these reviews, which often require staff examinations of thousands of petition signatures that are subject to challenge.

It also is standard practice in the Springfield office to have police presence for security when members of the public are in in the building at events such as candidate filing, board meetings and record exams.

The statement that observers at record exams this month were not allowed to use agency restrooms is incorrect. Before this month’s exams, members of the public were prohibited from using the agency’s restrooms during large-scale public events such as candidate filing and record examinations to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the office area of the building due to security concerns. However, in February security doors accessible only by employee key card were installed between the boardroom area and the agency’s office space, thus allowing public access to the restrooms while preventing unauthorized public entry to the rest of the building.

The longstanding standard disclaimer containing the restroom prohibition was read at the outset of the Sigcho Lopez review but was corrected within minutes of the announcement.

These same policies and procedures were in place for the record exam in the objection to the candidacy of independent gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett June 15-17 in the Springfield office.

…Adding… From Byron Sigcho Lopez’s campaign…

The Illinois State Board of Elections says our statement about bathrooms is “incorrect” at the top but then they admit below that yes, in fact, they did tell Sigcho Lopez campaign volunteers they were prohibited from using bathroom.

That admission explains why 64-year-old volunteer (Irma) was denied use of the agency restroom. Another volunteer went with her to cross the street and find the restroom at a Hy-Vee gas station.

A 68-year-old volunteer (Leila) heard the group wasn’t allowed to use the restroom but then watched the policy change when a white male in attendance (Gill) asked to use the restroom.

Gill even clarified, “I can verify this is exactly what happened. I didn’t even actually ask to use their restroom - I asked where I needed to go to use one. I know I as not the first one to ask, as it was well into the first shift and I had seen multiple folks leave to go across the street.”