American Notes Illinois

Saddled with Democratic running mates he described as "candidates who espouse hate-filled folly," Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Adlai Stevenson III last week took the honorable way out. He announced that he would withdraw from the Democratic ticket, and hopes to run as an independent or third-party candidate. The move was prompted by the fact that two supporters of Ultrarightist Lyndon LaRouche won the Democratic nominations for Lieutenant Governor and secretary of state. Stevenson's abdication means that Illinois Democrats will probably run this fall with a vacancy at the top of their ticket. The Democrats' disarray can only help the candidacy of incumbent Governor James Thompson, who barely edged out Stevenson in 1982. What promised to be a close race between two longtime adversaries now looks more like a fourth term for Thompson.