Basco drops out of DuPage County Board race amid family 'crisis'

DOWNERS GROVE – One of the two Democratic candidates running for DuPage County Board in District 3 is pulling out of the race.

John Basco, a Downers Grove resident, announced via his blog March 26 that he was withdrawing from the November general election for family reasons.

Basco came in second in the three-way Democratic primary, and he would have joined Hinsdale resident Julie Renehan on the November ballot.

"A little over a week ago, I ran into some heavy family trouble," Basco posted on his blog. "One of my boys is in crisis. He'll be OK, but it's been a scary, eye-opening experience."

Basco said he needed to focus on his son rather than dedicate time to the County Board race.

Basco, 43, garnered about 25.9 percent of the vote in the March 20 primary, edging out Mehr Qayyum, who finished third with about 23.9 percent, according to unofficial results from the DuPage County Election Commission. Renehan finished first with about 50 percent of the vote.

Martin Tully, the mayor of Downers Grove, and Greg Hart, who was appointed to the County Board in 2017, are the Republican candidates for District 3.

Basco said there was about $500 remaining in his campaign fund that would be donated to Planned Parenthood.

District 3 includes all or parts of Bolingbrook, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Darien, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Lemont, Naperville, Westmont, Willowbrook and Woodridge.