Stevenson Seeks to Oust Rightist From Ill. Ticket

Adlai E. Stevenson III, the Democratic nominee for governor of Illinois, said today that he is exploring legal ways of removing a supporter of ultraconservative Lyndon LaRouche from his ticket.

If that fails, “the only alternative” would be to form a third party with a full slate of candidates for the fall election, he said on NBC’s “Today” show.

LaRouche backer Mark Fairchild won the Democratic Party’s nomination for lieutenant governor this week by defeating Stevenson’s choice, state Sen. George E. Sangmeister, according to unofficial returns. In the race for secretary of state, LaRouche supporter Janice A. Hart led Aurelia Pucinski, the party’s choice, by about 15,000 votes with 99% of the returns counted.

One Vote for Both

Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor in Illinois run as a ticket in the general election, and voters cast one vote for both.

Stevenson said he will consider asking for a recount if the official totals show that Fairchild won.

He also said he is trying to make sure Fairchild satisfied all the legal requirements for candidacy, including residence, financial disclosures and petition signatures.

If Fairchild passes all the tests, “that’s when the predicament does get big,” Stevenson said.

“The only alternative at that point--and I hope we’ll never reach it--is to reconstitute true Democratic candidates under the label of True Democratic Party.”

‘Just Plain Eccentric’

Regular Democrats must “disassociate ourselves entirely from people who are neo-fascist, anti-Semitic and at best just plain eccentric,” he said, complaining that LaRouche followers believe, among other things, that the Queen of England runs international drug trade.

But a LaRouche official said Stevenson should accept the wishes of the voters.

“Fellow Democrat Adlai Stevenson should stop acting like an aristocrat and stop insulting the working people’s vote,” said a statement from Fairchild read by Susan Johnson, press coordinator for LaRouche’s National Democratic Policy Center in Chicago. “We repeat our proposals that Adlai sit down with Mark Fairchild and discuss beating Gov. Thompson.”

Carl Sutker, outgoing chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, and state Treasurer James Donnewald said Thursday that they supported creation of a third party so Stevenson can run separately from the LaRouche candidates.

Everyone sharing blame for upset. Page 4.