(SACRAMENTO) --- Stacy McCaskill will be the first to tell you she is not a career politician.
But that doesn't mean the Independent candidate isn't in the running for the Illinois 11th District Congressional seat, which requires approximately 19,000 signatures even to get her name on the ballot.
That is why I interviewed her at length to show the difference between entering a race in California and in Illinois, which is evidently much harder, if not nearly impossible.
"I just think the rules are definitely stacked against us to make it impossible for any independent candidate to get onto the ballot," McCaskill said.
Though she filed with the Federal Election Commission, she explains, "there's nobody to file with in Illinois," unlike in California.
I had to file an intent to run, which acknowledged I was on the ballot, yet Illinois does not even offer that luxury.
"Even when I'm out talking to people, they do not know I am running," McCaskill said, adding her name does not even come up in Google when searched for the race.
Her name would appear on Google if she had 19,000 signatures, which is approximately 5-8% of the number of people who voted in the last election.
It would be different if she were a Democrat or a Republican, which only require 1% to get on the primary ballot.
"It's one-fifth of what I have to collect," she said, adding that it is what is required by the Illinois Election Commission range.
That is why I am researching how hard it is to run in different states, with Illinois being one of the first, since I just assumed it would be easier in a mid-west state than coastal California.
McCaskill admits she is not sure how many Independent candidates are running in Illinois, but is sure of one, Tyronne Muhammad, who reached out to her.
"Tyrone is trying to pull together a group to sue over this disparity," she said. "Muhammad reached out to me because he's looking for more people who can throw money into that lawsuit pot to help pay for that lawsuit."
Beyond possible lawsuits and signatures, McCaskill is not letting the pushback stop her, specifically on her campaign website, where she lists top campaign priorities, including high-impact investments, simplifying the tax code, and protecting Federal Reserve independence.
As for the needed signatures, the business owner said that while her supporters come into her shop, she needs more than just people saying, "I am glad you're running."
"I need more than I am glad, I need you to go collect me 20 signatures then," she said.
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