A throw-away candidate

Former State Rep. Ellis Levin, who had been defeated in the previous election, was making a comeback bid in 1980 and looked like a sure winner.  

State Rep. William Marovitz was running for the Illinois State Senate and The Machine knew it wasn’t likely to win both contested State Rep. seats. It needed a name on the ballot next to State Rep. John Cullerton and sought somebody who would appear to be a Reformer, hoping to cut into Levin’s support.

 After Kathy Osterman turned it down, it was given to Herb Williams, a one-time Independent leader who had switched sides six years earlier.

 He had sought the position when State Rep. Bruce Douglas chose not to run again. He held the number two position in the Independent Precinct Organization (IPO) at the time and utilized a bit of ahead-of-the-curve technology by broadcasting a closed-circuit TV speech at a meeting he was unable to attend.

A citizen search committee seeking a Reform candidate to compete in the primary election opted instead for Steven Klein, a former Peace Corps volunteer who spoke fluent Spanish, and whose wife held a high-level position in the administration of Governor Dan Walker.

Williams, incensed at being passed over, quit IPO and joined the Regular Democratic organization. He was tabbed for the candidacy in 1980 when the Machine needed a “Reformer” to fill a spot it knew it wouldn’t win.

He lost.

Excerpted from “Chicago Political Stories” at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/994143where there are more stories about throw away candidates.