I knew I was in trouble when: …my opponents and their attorney seemed to successfully prove that one of the circulators, Marla Howard, my sister-in-law doesn’t live in Bonnie, Illinois in my deceased mother’s house, in the house where I grew up, although I knew that’s where Marla lives.  My opponents claimed the three nominating petition sheets she signed as circulator were invalid because Marla doesn’t live where she lives. …I learned my opponents had spent, or had been granted pro bono, thousands of dollars worth of lawyers’ fees to get my name removed from the ballot. … I read in the Yale Law Review, “From an individual rights perspective, private challenges can impose severe and discriminatory burdens on disfavored candidates and their supporters without appreciably advancing the state’s legitimate interest in regulating access to the ballot.”  The challenge against me was a private challenge brought by agents of my opponents. … I read where Judge Posner said  “the fact that Illinois makes challenges easy rather than hard renders the state’s core ballot access requirements more difficult to satisfy and thus more constitutionally suspect.” … the Records Review room supervisor admitted that some decisions had been made because he wasn’t aware that some areas of Southern Illinois still did not have complete street addresses. … I received the “Recommendation of Hearing Examiner” that due to opponents’ objections against my candidacy being upheld, “Candidate’s name not be placed on the ballot as a Democratic candidate for the office of Representative in Congress of the State of Illinois for the 19th Congressional District.” … the Hearing Examiner concluded, “Candidate’s constitutional arguments should be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.”

Twas the FRIDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS… Voters Names Thrown Off Petition      ABRAHAM LINCOLN—I happen temporarily to occupy this White House.  I am a living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father’s child has.  It is in order that each of you may have through this free government which we have enjoyed an open field and a fair chance.   .  . that the struggle should be maintained that we may not lose our birthright.-- During the pursuit of political office, it became obvious to me that I am a better writer than I am a politician.  I knew competition would get brutal during the primary, but I didn’t anticipate and was caught off guard by the hostile tactics that began even before I got my name on the primary ballot.  I guess you could say I was shot down by “friendly fire,” before I even got to the front lines..