FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHICAGO, November 1st, 2022 – 2022 Libertarian Party of Illinois candidates are responding furiously to their exclusion from debates hosted by Chicago PBS affiliate WTTW. In response, The Libertarian Party of Chicago will be hosting the #LetUsSpeak Rally at the Renee Crown Public Media Center on November 5th to protest the exclusion and call on WTTW, WBEZ, and media organizations to include all candidates in debates and press coverage.
“We love Big Bird, we love WTTW‘s great programming, and we love democracy and our glorious Bill of Rights,” said Dan Robin, Libertarian candidate for Attorney General. “The LP obtained almost 37,000 signatures to gain legal access to the ballot. Very few of those who signed are Libertarians. Those 37,000 people were very clear. They wanted democracy to include more voices. Excluding us is insulting to us and to those 37,000 people who wanted us to be heard.”
Nico Tsatsoulis, Libertarian candidate for Cook County Assessor, also expressed frustration. “WBEZ functions as a subsidiary of the Democratic party and seems to promote only their official candidates,” he said. “The end result is that voters do not get crucial information. I have repeatedly emailed the station to correct this but they have ignored my pleas. For somebody who claims to be a mainstream media outlet providing independent non-partisan information, this targeted exclusion seems like a major mishap to put it gently.”
Former professional wrestler Jon Stewart, who is the Libertarian Secretary of State candidate, took to Twitter and said, “Being left out of a candidate forum by a TV station funded by the public is a disgrace. @scmicek, just to inform you that I will be seeking legal action against WTTW for this disgrace.”
James Humay, running as a Libertarian for Cook County Commissioner, made a simple comment on the matter. “#DefundPBS,” he said in an e-mail statement.
The #LetUsSpeak Rally starts at 12 PM on Saturday, November 5th. It will take place at the Renee Crown Public Media Center located at 5400 N. St. Louis Avenue in Chicago.
Illinois Libertarian statewide candidates on the November ballot are Bill Redpath for US Senate, Scott Schluter for Governor, John Phillips for Lt. Governor, Dan Robin for Attorney General, Jon Stewart for Secretary of State, Preston Nelson for Treasurer, and Deirdre McCloskey for Comptroller. Libertarian candidates for Cook County office include Thea Tsatsos for Board President, Joseph Schreiner for Clerk, Brad Sandefur for Sheriff, Michael Murphy for Treasurer, Nico Tsatsoulis for Assessor, James Humay for Cook County Commissioner (District 1), Jason Decker for County Commissioner (District 5), and Brandon Sizelove for County Commissioner (District 11).
Libertarian statewide and Cook County candidates are available for press interviews. Contact communications@lpchicago.org for scheduling or general inquiries. More information on the Party and its candidates can be found at LPChicago.org and LPIllinois.org.
ABOUT THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF CHICAGO
The Libertarian Party of Chicago is a local chapter of the Libertarian Party of Illinois, an affiliate of the national Libertarian Party. The party is comprised of common people united by two goals: 1) to advocate for a better Chicago through the promotion of liberty and 2) to make the Libertarian Party a legitimate and viable political option in modern American politics. Join us for our monthly meetings (www.LPChicago.org/events) and follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @ChicagoLP.
MEDIA CONTACT
Justin Tucker, Communications Chair
communications@lpchicago.org