Two LaRouche Followers Trail in Illinois Races

WASHINGTON — Two followers of Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr., who scored primary upsets in Illinois seven months ago, were headed for defeat Tuesday in the general election.

LaRouche followers Mark J. Fairchild, who won the Illinois Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, and Janice A. Hart, the Democratic secretary of state candidate, were losing by wide margins in early returns.

About a dozen other followers of LaRouche were defeated or were trailing in early returns in congressional and state races in Idaho, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Texas.

Critics of LaRouche, a four-time presidential candidate, attributed his sudden shift in political fortunes to an unprecedented burst of publicity about the 64-year-old recluse after the Illinois primary.

Bold Statements

In Illinois, early returns Tuesday showed Fairchild receiving about 7% of the vote, with Hart drawing about 22%.

At LaRouche campaign offices in Chicago, Fairchild and Hart, both wearing red and white carnations, spoke in bold terms.

“The LaRouche organization internationally has unfurled what has never been seen in the history of the world,” said Hart, whose campaign was punctuated by accusations that her GOP opponent was soft on drugs and AIDS.