Chicago City Wire

David Krupa argues his stance against Ald. Marty Quinn and House Speaker Mike Madigan is bigger than the race he’s running in the 13th Ward.

“I want to see justice not just for myself but for all the other candidates that have attempted to run against Madigan and his cronies in this ward for the past 27 years and have been snuffed out,” he told Chicago City Wire. “I want to see the two of them formally put on the record as to who gave the orders to go out and do things the way they did against me because we know it was an organized effort.”

In a Jan. 29 press release, Krupa, the 19-year-old DePaul University freshmen on the ballot against Quinn in the 13th Ward in April, announced that he is moving forward with his federal lawsuit accusing the two men of election fraud, civil rights violations, and various other charges.

David Krupa

All the drama started in the spring of 2018, when Krupa first announced plans to enter the race, taking the added step of filing nearly four times the number of signatures required to officially be placed on the ballot.

Krupa’s candidacy immediately drew a challenge from the camps of Quinn and Madigan’s 13th Ward Democratic Organization, but the protest was soon dropped after questions about the validity of the nearly 2,800 signatures turned in began to mount.

Over time, Krupa and his attorney argued that of the 2,787 affidavits submitted in opposition to his eligibility roughly only 300 of them were actually signed by voters.

“I want to set a precedent so everyone knows how it’s handled if anyone else faces a similar situation where rules are abused in such a fraudulent way,” Krupa added. “I want it to be where they will be protected and have an easier time staying on the ballot. Another thing I’m seeking is to have everything turned over to the FBI so if they’re investigating anything this information will be accessible to them.”

In the end, Krupa said he just wants to be able to bring the people of his community all the services they deserve.

“My utmost priority is to represent this ward and do just that,” he said. “The last few years have been tough as everything has become about Mike Madigan and Marty Quinn. Everyone should be getting the same services based on the tax dollars they pay. I want this ward to be known for giving equal services.”