Five Oak Parkers have applied to be the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in November’s election, a void created when the man who won the February Democratic primary, Scott Lee Cohen, withdrew from the race on Feb. 7 amid scandal allegations.
The Democratic Party of Illinois is now accepting applications to compete for the post in November, and 218 people currently have their names up for consideration for the candidacy.
One Oak Parker who applied said he’s an independent, while another says he’ll resign the day he gets the job. Yet another is a soldier in the Army Reserve.
Bradley Folkoff, at 32, is the youngest of the five to apply. He currently works as an account manager at the Light Bulb Depot in Stone Park and graduated from Wayne State University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He says he’s a Democrat partly because he’s distantly related to Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan.
Patrick Scanlan Jr., 34, is a mobilized soldier in the U.S. Army Reserves, who has tallied more than 12 years of service. He studied English at Eastern Illinois University.
David Gulbransen, 37, says he would resign from the position of lieutenant governor his first day in office, giving the Illinois Legislature time to eliminate the job. He’s a Democrat “because, while I believe in fiscal responsibility, I’d rather tax and spend on social good like a Democrat than borrow and spend on pork projects like a Republican.”
Daniel Seltzer, 42, is a political independent who currently works at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine as a research associate. Before that, he was a lawyer based in Chicago.
“The state cannot afford, and the public will not stand for, pork-barrel projects and other unnecessary government spending,” he wrote in his application. “Change is demanded, whether or not those involved in government can yet see the light.”
The fifth candidate is James Farrell, 56, an economist and consultant, with his own company based in Oak Park.
In a March 9 letter to candidates, Michael Madigan, chairman of the Illinois Democrats, said an announcement of how a nominee will be picked “will be forthcoming.”
