Oberweis election loss challenge was political theater

Karel Jones in her Fencepost defense of failed 14th District congressional candidate Jim Oberweis, sounds at first glance, well reasoned.

But deconstructing Jones’ defense of Oberweis’ unending effort to overturn Lauren Underwood’s win reveals little difference from Trump’s unrelenting effort to undermine our electoral democracy over his loss for president.

Oberweis’ loss of 5,373 votes was not that close. Nationwide dozens, even hundreds of such close races occur without warrantless, extended challenge. The State Board of Election certified it after the official recount a month after the election.

Jones simply makes the same argument that Trump and the national GOP have made for the last 7 months. Jones version is that Oberweis’ loss “continues to raise serious issues among many voters of voter integrity and accuracy.”

Her evidence? Oberweis’ election night lead evaporated from “mail in and drop box ballots that mysteriously began appearing from some counties in the gerrymandered 14 District.” It was no mystery that mail in and drop box ballots were counted later…always have been, always will be. Their totals will only increase as more voters use mail in/drop box voting for its convenience, and during pandemic, their safety.

Jones is simply using the GOP playbook that urged Election Day voting to give their underdog candidate a lead on election night, then charge, with zero evidence, that the more Democratic votes coming in later, prove fraud.

Additionally, the Republican minority in the U.S. House, led by downstate Illinois Republican Rodney Davis, concurred with the Democratic majority that Oberweis’ election redo effort was meritless.

Why don’t we see losing Democratic candidates frivolously challenging relatively small election losses? Maybe, unlike their Republican colleagues, they believe in small d democracy.