By Mariam Itani, Staff Writer
With Election Day next week, it’s important to inform ourselves on the candidates. Many Moraine Valley Community College students will be voting for the first time, so here is a guide to the candidates.
President of the United States
Donald Trump: The incumbent president, along with his running mate, Vice President Mike Pence, are part of the Republican Party. Trump believes he can bounce back the economy as soon as the pandemic ceases, boost manufacturing in the U.S and reduce reliance on China’s imports, and continue to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala D. Harris, who make up the Democratic ticket, want to focus on boosting the middle class, rebuilding relationships with allies, and reinstalling America’s democracy as a fair and inclusive system.
Beyond the two main parties, there are still four more to consider. Although it’s rare for a third-party candidate to win the presidential elections–so rare, in fact, that there has never been a third-party candidate to become president–they should still be mentioned because their platforms can provide different perspectives.
Brian T. Carrol: As the candidate of the American Solidarity Party with his running mate Amar Patel, Carroll is hoping to achieve nationwide healthcare, gear attention towards climate protection, and protect life from impregnation to death.
Howie Hawkins: Candidate of the Green Party alongside running mate Angela Walker. Some of Hawkins’ campaign involves addressing COVID-19 and its damages whilst providing relief, passing new deals to seriously address the global climate issue, and cutting the military’s budget greatly, and promoting human welfare and peace.
Jo Jorgensen: A candidate from the Libertarian Party, Jorgensen and her running mate Jeremy “Spike” Cohen support more accessible health care, ceasing Trump’s wall and opening borders and trade, demilitarizing the police, and bringing back U.S troops from overseas to promote non-interventionism.
Gloria La Riva: La Riva and her running mate Leonard Peltier from the Party for Socialism and Liberation are running a socialist campaign. They hope to make a huge strive for social equality by lifting the marginalized, advocating for a more peaceful society by reducing military activity, and protecting natives and their land. The chances of a third-party candidate winning the elections are extremely low, but their perspectives are notable nonetheless and for that reason, they should be given attention.
House of Representatives
The state of Illinois is granted 18 congressional districts. Moraine Valley’s student body consists mainly of three districts that divide the House of Representatives: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Here are the candidates in each:
1st district: Bobby L. Bush (Democrat) and Philanise White (Republican).
2nd district: Kelly Robin (Democrat) and Theresa J. Raborn (Republican).
3rd district: Marie Newman (Democrat) and Mike Fricilone (Republican).
Our student body also consists of 10 House of Representative districts:
District 21 (Summit/Bridgeview): The only candidate is Democrat Edgar Gonzales Jr.
District 23 (Justice/Summit/Bridgeview): The only candidate is Democrat Michael Zalewski.
District 27 (Alsip/Oak Lawn/Orland/Palos Heights/Palos): The only candidate is democrat Justin Walker.
District 28 (Tinley/Orland/Crestwood): Democrat Robert Rita and independent Paris Walker Thomas are running.
District 30 (Blue Island/Oak Lawn): The only candidate is Democrat William Davis.
District 31 (Bridgeview/Justice/Oak Lawn/Chicago Ridge): The only candidate is Democrat Mary E. Flowers.
District 32 (Hickory Hills): The only candidate is Democrat Andre Thapedi.
District 35 (Worth/Orland/Alsip/Tinley/Oak Lawn/Chicago Ridge): Democrat Frances Ann Hurley and Republican Herbert Hebein are running.
District 36 (Chicago Ridge/Evergreen Park/Worth/Oak Lawn/Palos Park), the only candidate is Democrat Kelly M. Burke.
District 38 (Tinley): Democrat Debbie Meyers-Martin and Republican Max Solomon are running.
Senate
This year, only one seat is open for the U.S. Senate. The other seat is held by Democrat Tammy Duckworth, a former lieutenant of the U.S Army. The candidates running for the second seat are Dick Durbin (incumbent, Democrat), Mark Curran (Republican), David Black (Green Party), Banny Malouf (Libertarian), and Willie Wilson (Willie Wilson Party).
Judges
There are three candidates for a position of the State’s Attorney: Democrat Kim Fox, Republican Patrick W. O’Brien, and Libertarian Brian Dennehy.
Two candidates are running for Clerk of the Circuit Court; they are democrat Iris Y. Martinez and republican Barbara Bellar.
Three Board of Review districts make up the state of Illinois. In the first district, which holds the Cook County district, Democrat Tammy Wendt and Republican Dan Patlak are running.
In the Appellate Court of district 1–our district in Cook County– there are two judges listed to be retained or not. In the Circuit Court, there are 122 judges listed to be retained or not. We choose whether or not these current judges will have to opportunity to serve another term.
For more information on why voting is important, see my opinion here.
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