Illinois Governor’s Race : Judge Rules Stevenson Can’t Run as Independent

A federal judge ruled Friday that Adlai Stevenson cannot run for governor as an independent, leaving Stevenson with the much more difficult task of launching a third-party bid.

U.S. District Judge James B. Parsons upheld the constitutionality of a state law requiring that independent candidacies be filed by last December, which Stevenson did not do.

Parsons said he was forced to balance the competing interests of the state and the “unique situation” in which Stevenson found himself after the March 18 primary, in which Stevenson’s choice for running mate was defeated by a supporter of extremist Lyndon LaRouche.

An Appeal Expected

Stevenson will appeal the ruling, said his press secretary, Bob Benjamin.

Stevenson resigned as the state’s Democratic nominee in April, after LaRouche supporter Mark Fairchild won the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor in the primary. LaRouche supporter Janice Hart won the Democratic nomination for secretary of state.

Benjamin minimized the damage of the ruling and the problems involved in a third-party bid, which involves running a full slate of candidates who will compete against regular Democrats as well as Republicans.

“We said the whole thing in this matter all along was to get him on the ballot,” he said. “Voters have been saying all along, ‘Whatever you do, just tell us how’ ” to vote for Stevenson.

Stevenson said he could not run on the same ticket with candidates tied to LaRouche, whom he said espouses a “neo-Nazi” philosophy.

LaRouche is a frequent fringe candidate for President who espouses political theories based on worldwide conspiracies involving drug traffickers, the Soviet KGB, British royalty and Henry Kissinger.