University student Ben Chapman drops out of state senate race
Junior in food science and human nutrition Ben Chapman holding his declaration of intent to run as a write-in candidate against Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, for his 51st Illinois Senate District seat.
April 9, 2018
Ben Chapman, junior in ACES, announced he will be stepping out of the Illinois 51st District state senate race due to logistical issues Monday.
“I have immensely appreciated the support from people in my community, state, country and even around the globe,” Chapman said in the announcement. “My belief in the power and responsibility of young people to repair our current political disarray remains as strong as ever, and I will continue working to ensure the voices of our nation’s youth are heard.”
Chapman said in a follow-up interview that he loved being involved in the race and is willing to support any other Democratic candidate who has interest in the seat.
Each candidate needs at least 1,000 signatures to get ballot access and many candidates strive for one to two times that number in case an opposing candidate challenges any of the signatures. Chapman needs to gather the signatures by late June, but he said the task is just not feasible at this time.
Chapman said he would prefer allocating his time and effort to a candidate who has the necessary resources and a better chance of getting the signatures.
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“I grew up in Mahomet and I love the Champaign-Urbana area. I loved talking to people about the issues they care about,” Chapman said. “But I could not guarantee that I could get all the signatures I needed.”
