A would-be congressional candidate from the North suburbs who has an extensive history of antisemitic social media posts was removed from ballot consideration Tuesday.

Zion resident John Minarcik won’t appear on spring 2026 primary ballots for Illinois’ 10th District seat because he didn’t gather enough petition signatures to qualify, the Illinois State Board of Elections ruled.

Only three people signed Minarcik’s petition, an elections board spokesperson said. Nearly 1,000 signatures were required to qualify in that primary race.

A fellow Democratic candidate, Mundelein’s Morgan Coghill, had formally objected to Minarcik’s petition.

Minarcik couldn’t be reached for comment. His exit from the race leaves Coghill and longtime U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Highland Park as the Democrat

See Full Page