In a tight election, sometimes something as minor as where a name falls on the ballot can make a difference. The order for presidential candidates in Illinois has been determined as long as they all actually remain on the ballot.
Jeb Bush has already won Republican standoff. He, Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio each had their petitions in to Illinois' elections board in time to win the coveted first spot on the ballot. Bush won the lottery; his opponents will appear in that order, with six other well-known candidates following. But objections are pending against both Cruz and Rubio.
On the Democratic side, objections are pending against five of the six candidates who've filed to run in Illinois, including Hillary Clinton. She won the spot at the top of the ballot. Bernie Sanders got the nearly-as-coveted place at the end of the list. Martin O'Malley has been on the stage during nationally-televised Democratic debates, but you may not have heard of the other three candidates. One of them is Willie Wilson of Chicago. He recently lost a campaign to be Chicago's mayor. Wilson is also the only Democrat in this race who isn't getting challenged in Illinois.
