EVANSTON, IL — Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, an Evanston Democrat, faces a long-shot challenge from Republican nominee Max Rice, of Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood. Both candidates won their primary elections unopposed.
Schakowsky, a senior chief deputy whip in the US House, is heavily favored to win a 13th term in office Tuesday, even as she stands to lose her seat as chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee if the Democrats fail to retain their House majority.
Her opponent, Max Rice, the operations manager of his family’s energy brokerage firm, has said his first act, if elected, would be to leave the Republican Party and operate as an independent.
Rice collected 10 percent of the vote and came in last place in a four-man field four years ago. The second place finisher in the 2018 Republican primary field, Sargis Sangari, challenged Schakowsky in 2020. Neither was able to capture more than 30 percent of the vote in the heavily Democratic district.
The two candidates found little areas of agreement during a candidate forum videoconference hosted last month by the Wilmette League of Women Voters and Wilmette Public Library.
Both supported a ban on pharmaceutical companies advertising directly to consumers on television. And Rice said he was sympathetic to Schakowsky’s remarks applauding formal objections to the certification of Ohio’s electoral votes due to voting irregularities in Ohio during the 2004 presidential election.
Schakowsky said it was a great honor and responsibility to be a federal lawmaker. She cited her contributions to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, but said the “fight of our lives now is defending our democracy.”
“This election is a pivotal election right now, I think it’s an election that distinguishes between are we going to have a real democracy, where people have power have freedom? And we want everyone to get out to vote,” Schakowsky said.
“Reproductive rights can be saved, we can make sure that all people have the rights and the freedom that they deserve,” she continued. “But it takes a vote. We can do this, it’s a short distance away and many of the things that may be bothering you can be corrected after the next election.”
Rice’s campaign has included a stand-up comedy tour, skipping a newspaper candidate forum and sending a political comedian in his place and a legislative focus that includes “make the US rich” and “make the US less corrupt.”
During the library’s candidate forum, Rice said the saddest day of his campaign was picking up trash on July 4 during the eight hours that the Alleged Highland Park mass shooter what on the run
“It’s really scary to see that we aren’t responding to these things correctly,” Rice said.
“We have to just accept that it’s a reality that we live in a crazy society and we’re probably going to see more of these mass shootings, and we have to have a response plan. We don’t. So I would love to just make mass shooting illegal, but that’s not going to stop the problem.” Rice said. “Who cares if you don’t enforce the laws? There are red flags and assault weapons bans in Highland Park, and that still happens.”
