North Cook News

Mark Rice, a candidate for Illinois' eighth district congressional seat, has voiced concerns about the democratic race for Cook County State’s Attorney. In the upcoming November general election, Rice is set to challenge the incumbent Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi.

"Finding 10,000 ballots all of a sudden in the Cook County States attorney democrat primary makes everyone skeptical that a “free and fair election” is unfolding," said Rice, Canddiate, according to Facebook. "Also weeks of counting ballots is not kosher."

The current issue revolves around the Democratic candidate's election which, as of March 28, was still being counted. ABC7 reported that a potential winner could be identified by early next week. They also noted that Eileen O’Neill Burke held a lead of over 1,600 votes against Clayton Harris III on that day.

Screenshot of Mark Rice for Congress March 29 Facebook post | Mark Rice for Congress Facebook page

In response to these events, Rice shared a link on his Facebook page to an editorial in the Chicago Tribune. The paper's editorial board referred to the discovery of more than 9,000 ballots received on March 18 as a "forehead-slapping mistake."

The Chicago Tribune also addressed various conspiracy theories that have emerged due to this delay in counting votes. "Cook County and Chicago, given their political machine legacies, are particularly fertile grounds for conspiracy theorizing. We see no evidence of anything nefarious and to this point believe the mistakes, as significant as they’ve been, are honest," stated the editorial board.

However, they also pointed out that Cook County and Chicago need to address issues in their voting process. This includes improving their mail-in system which currently allows for counting mailed ballots postmarked no later than election day and those received within two weeks of election day.

The eighth Congressional District is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill). A map detailing this district—which covers northern Cook County, northern DuPage County and northeast Kane County—is available on Krishnamoorthi’s website.

Rice hails from Texas but has lived in Illinois for 35 years. He is an executive in the energy sector and has served as CEO of Energy CX for the past 15 years. Under his leadership, Energy CX has become a nationwide leader in providing energy solutions, employing a team of 70 professionals. Rice's campaign is focused on economic growth, fiscal discipline, tax relief, immigration reform and border security. His campaign website underscores his commitment to representing the best interests of district residents and positions him as a unifying force among constituents.