Kimberly Kusch
Kimberly Kusch was an Independent candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in the 2014 elections.[1] Kusch's running mate was Michael Hawkins. Kusch and Hawkins failed to qualify for the general election ballot after the Independent Party's ballot access petitions were ruled invalid by the Illinois State Board of Elections on August 22. The Libertarian Party was the only minor party to survive the signature challenge.[2] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Elections
2014
Kusch ran for election to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Had she remained on the ballot, Kusch would have run on a single ticket with gubernatorial candidate Michael Hawkins in the general election.[1] They were kicked off the ballot on August 22, when the Independent Party was disqualified from the November ballot for insufficient valid petition signatures. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Gov. Pat Quinn (D) lost his bid for re-election in 2014 to Republican Bruce Rauner. Quinn previously served as lieutenant governor under Rod Blagojevich. He became governor after Blagojevich's impeachment in 2009 and won a full term in 2010. Quinn was the second-least popular governor up for re-election in 2014, according to approval ratings compiled by FiveThirtyEight. According to multiple outside ratings, Quinn was among the most vulnerable governors in the 2014 electoral cycle.[3][4]
Incumbent Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (D) announced in February 2013 that she would not run for re-election in 2014 alongside Quinn, her 2010 running mate. Simon later declared her candidacy for state comptroller.[5][6] Quinn chose former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas as his new running mate.[7]
The 2014 electoral cycle marked the first time in Illinois history that candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor ran on a single ticket in the primary election phase.[7]
As a result of the 2014 elections, Illinois became one of 20 states under divided government and did not have a state government trifecta.
Minor party candidates
Quinn and Rauner ran against Libertarian candidate Chad Grimm. Initially, there were three other minor party or independent tickets in the race, including Michael Oberline (Constitution), Scott Summers (Green), and Michael Hawkins (independent). The Illinois State Board of Elections ruled on petition challenges on August 22, 2014, disqualifying Oberline, Summers, and Hawkins from appearing on the November 4 ballot. It was the first time in a decade that the Libertarian Party was the only minor party to compete for Illinois statewide office in the general election.[8]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Kimberly + Kusch + Illinois + Lieutenant + Governor"
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Detail - General Election 11/04/2014," accessed August 21, 2014
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Libertarian Party Statewide Slate Will Appear on Illinois Ballot," August 22, 2014
- ↑ Governing Politics, "2013-2014 Governor's Races: Who's Vulnerable?" December 11, 2012
- ↑ St. Louis Today, "Illinois Gov. Quinn 2nd least popular incumbent going into 2014," April 9, 2013
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Simon will not run again for lieutenant governor," February 13, 2013
- ↑ Chicago Magazine, "What Happens After Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon Quits Pat Quinn’s Team," March 26, 2013
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 CBS Local - Chicago, "2014 Governor Candidates To Choose Running Mates," August 24, 2013
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Libertarian Party Statewide Slate Will Appear on Illinois Ballot," August 22, 2014
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