By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Christian Maxwell, the Republican challenger in Illinois’ 1st Congressional District, said the Democratic incumbent declined a debate request from ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith ahead of Tuesday’s election.
Maxwell discussed the race during an Election Day radio interview on AM 560.
“If you’ll deny a debate request from Stephen A. Smith, you don’t care at all about giving the voters in this district a chance to hear from you,” Maxwell said.
Maxwell, a first-time candidate, defeated primary opponent Marcus Lewis in the March primary. She said the incumbent has not held campaign events in the district this cycle and instead campaigned for Democratic candidates in other races, including Angie Nixon, James Talerico and Abdul El-Sayed.
Maxwell said she has built her campaign largely through social media, reporting that she reached 5.5 million people across Facebook and Instagram in the month before Election Day. She said her messaging has focused on affordability, FEMA disaster funding disputes following a summer derecho, and Medicaid eligibility questions.
“We can’t keep voting for these quick buzzwords like affordability while voting for the party that exclusively advocates for higher taxes on every single thing that we consume,” Maxwell said.
Maxwell said she has found unexpected support from Black women between the ages of 50 and 65, a group she described as among the least likely to back her campaign.
“I’ve even had Black women between 50 and 65 literally grab me into hugs and pray for me,” Maxwell said. “There is no polling data for this race.”
Maxwell described the district’s voter dynamics as more fluid than polling suggests. She also raised the prospect of a proposed tax on retirement income in Illinois as a concern for voters in the district.
Maxwell holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she studied from 2008 to 2012. She has not previously held political office, and Illinois Family Action is listed among her organizational associations, according to the broadcast.
Radio host Jeannie Ives praised Maxwell’s campaign during the interview, telling her, “You’ve run one of the best congressional races. You’re so well spoken. You’ve worked really hard on this.”
The incumbent’s campaign was not described responding to Maxwell’s debate claim during the broadcast. The 1st Congressional District has been held by Democrats for decades and includes parts of Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs.
Results in the race are expected to be reported Tuesday night as polls close across Illinois.
