By Illinois Review
Chicago Republican Party Chairman Steve Boulton has lost the election to save his 27th Ward Committeeman seat after he was originally knocked off the ballot for submitting an “insufficient number of valid signatures,” after receiving just 24 votes as a write-in candidate – falling far short while facing no opponent, and bringing a humiliating end to a term marked by controversy and losses.
Boulton, who remains a close ally and senior political advisor to Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy, attempted to retain his ward committeeman seat by running as a write-in candidate, claiming he had “several options on Committeeman and Chairman, in and out of court” after the Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago voted unanimously in January to officially remove his name from appearing on the March 19th Primary ballot because he failed to meet the signature requirement on his nominating petitions.
111 signatures were required to appear on the March Primary ballot as a candidate for 27th Ward Committeeman. Boulton submitted a total of 310, but after careful review, it was discovered that only 103 signatures were valid – leaving Boulton 8 signatures short. As a write-in candidate, official election results revealed that Boulton secured just 24 votes and faced no opponent.
Over the last year, Illinois Review published several articles exposing Boulton as a man with anger issues who constantly attacks his fellow locally-elected Republican ward committeeman and grassroots conservatives – and who believes that if you are unvaccinated, then you should pay for your own hospital costs; and if you require lifesaving measures due to COVID-19 – the resources spent to save your life would be a “waste” of money.
Boulton oversaw an organization that couldn’t recruit or fund a single Republican candidate to run for Chicago mayor in a town of 2.6 million residents, and at one point had 18 vacancies for the position of ward committeeman within his organization.
Since he’s no longer an elected ward committeeman, Boulton can no longer serve as chairman of the Chicago GOP, forcing the group to find a new leader. Sources have shared with this publication that Boulton has been quietly job hunting in Washington, DC while running for committeeman as a write-in candidate.
In an opinion piece written by Boulton and published in Illinois Review, he wrote that, “My vision of the GOP in Chicago will be the future, not the narrow, vindictive, unsuccessful Chicago GOP of the past that is still envisioned by my critics and opponents. I have already won the war.”
Well that vision does not include Boulton in its future – and while he may think that he “won the war,” he’s certainly proven that he can’t win elections or secure more than 24 votes.
