David Krupa is a 19-year-old college freshman at DePaul University in Chicago. Krupa decided to get a jump-start on his political career (he’s studying political science) by running for alderman in the city’s 13th ward. What he got was a personal lesson in Democratic machine politics.

In order to qualify for the ballot, Krupa had to collect 473 valid signatures from ward residents. He did that but before he could turn them in, the Democratic political machine responded with a campaign that Krupa and his attorney believes was election fraud intended to keep him off the ballot. ABC 7 in Chicago reports:

Krupa collected 1,703, but said before he even turned them in, Quinn supporters turned in affidavits from 2,796 people who said they wanted to revoke their signatures for Krupa…

During an election board hearing Monday, Krupa and his attorney said only 187 of the people who signed a revocation affidavit actually signed his nominating petitions, meaning 2,600 were fraudulent.

“They had to have been told that it was for something it wasn’t for, or coerced into doing it somehow, and we actually had a lot of people who messaged me and said that was the case they only signed because it was brought to them three times a day for a week,” Krupa said.

ABC tried to ask the current alderman, Marty Quinn, about this campaign but reports that he “declined an interview request and later ducked out of a City Council committee meeting avoiding reporters.”

Quinn did eventually speak with WTTW and said, “I guess the better question is: a self-described, ‘day-one Trump supporter’ gets 1,700 signatures in the 13th Ward, without being disingenuous? That’s the question that comes to my mind.” And then he turned and walked away. There’s a video of his performance below.

For the record, I have no idea whether Krupa is a Trump supporter. His website is here and doesn’t say anything about national politics. But Krupa believes the Chicago’s political machine, run by Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, used fraud to attempt to keep him off the ballot:

Krupa alleges that Madigan precinct workers went door to door and tricked residents into signing the affidavits.

“What people have told me is that, when they were approached, it was for something like ‘verifying my signature,’” Krupa said. “Well it wasn’t for verifying their signature, it was for taking me off the ballot. I’ve had family friends who have known me their entire life who have signed one of those revocation papers because they were told it was something it wasn’t, and they are furious.”

So it appears that roughly 2,600 people, including people who know Krupa, were pressured or tricked into committing election fraud. The Chicago Tribune’s John Kass published a column last week explaining why Speaker Madigan’s likely involvement means no one involved in this campaign will ever be held to account:

The Goliath is the 13th Ward Democratic Organization run by House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, aka Boss Madigan, the most powerful politician in the state. Boss Madigan has long hand-picked his aldermen. He likes them loyal and quiet…

There is no litigation, yet, but election attorney Michael Dorf, who is representing Krupa, says this case is a “clown car of felonies.”

“You know the 13th Ward better than I do,” Dorf said. “This is clown school and election fraud. This is going way, way beyond the line. David is a huge underdog. Go ahead and beat him on Election Day, or do subtle fraud, like taking away yard signs, but when this number of false affidavits are filed, you’re talking fundamental fraud, epic fraud.”…

Dorf said that he will ask the elections board next week to refer the matter to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

But Foxx, a Democrat, won’t want to anger the Boss.

Neither will incoming Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who famously said he would not “go fishing” for corruption, and who also received a million dollars in Madigan political money.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for Democrats to do something about other Democrats committing election fraud. That’s not the Chicago way.