Republicans file to take on Schneider, Ramirez; Casten, Quigley face new primary challengers

The last day of petition filing for Illinois’ March 2024 primary election saw more congressional candidates enter contests to serve the North, West or Northwest suburbs.

Oakbrook Terrace resident Mahnoor Ahmad submitted paperwork Monday to run as a Democrat for the 6th District seat held by Democrat Sean Casten of Downers Grove.

Additionally, Lake Forest resident Jim Carris filed Monday to run as a Republican for the 10th Congressional seat held by Democrat Brad Schneider of Highland Park.

Palatine Democrat Jonathan Antonio Bishop entered the Democratic field in the largely suburban 5th District. Veteran Chicago Democrat Mike Quigley now serves that constituency.

Homer Glen Republican John Booras filed midafternoon Monday to run in the 3rd District, where Chicago Democrat Delia Ramirez is the incumbent.

And two more Republicans, Charlie Kim of Aurora and Krystal Dorey of Lockport, filed to run in the 14th District, where Naperville Democrat Lauren Underwood is the two-term incumbent. A third Republican candidate, James T. Marter of Oswego, filed last week.

The Democratic showdown in the 6th District, which encompasses parts of Cook and DuPage counties, appears a three-person race. In addition to Casten and Ahmad, Chicagoan Charles Hughes is seeking the nomination for the second time.

Niki Conforti of Glen Ellyn is the lone Republican candidate in the 6th. She ran for the GOP nomination in 2022 and lost.

In the 5th District, which cuts diagonally through Cook and Lake counties between Chicago’s North Side and the Barrington area, Bishop’s entry into the Democratic field makes it a potential three-way contest.

Quigley is running again, as is Chicagoan Jerico Matias Cruz, who unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2022 as an independent.

Republican Tommy Hanson, a Chicagoan making his fifth bid for Congress, is the lone GOP candidate in the 5th.

In the 3rd District, Booras and Ramirez are the only candidates in their respective primaries. The 3rd encompasses parts of Cook and DuPage counties,

Likewise, up in the 10th District, neither Carris nor Schneider will face primary opponents. Former Republican nominee Joe Severino, who lost to Schneider in 2022, had said he’d run for the 10th District seat as a Democrat in 2024 but didn’t file the necessary paperwork. Late Monday, Severino said he intends to run as an independent.

The 10th includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

While three candidates are set to battle for the Republican nomination in the 14th District, Underwood is the lone Democrat candidate there. The district includes parts of Kane, Will, DeKalb, Kendall, LaSalle, Bureau and Putnam counties.

Winners of the March 19 primary will move on to the Nov. 5 general election.