(WBBM NEWSRADIO) --A former congressman is opting not to run as an independent in November after gathering signatures for a run.
Former Congressman Dan Lipinski said in a Chicago Tribune op-ed that volunteers collected 5,000 signatures needed to get him onto the ballot in November as an independent for the 6th Congressional District.
However, he’s decided not to make a run. Democratic incumbent Sean Casten will be facing Republican Orland Park mayor Keith Pekau. Lipinski said the country is crying out for an alternative to the current two-party system, so he has reached out to Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger to work to elect independents.
"Historically, independent candidates have not been successful because of the organizational and institutional structures that give the two parties significant advantages and oftentimes rig the system in their favor," wrote Lipinski in the op-ed.
"An Independents Movement could help change this. It could bolster existing organizations and create new ones to support independents seeking office."
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