Four candidates have filed to challenge Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) in the general election for her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.Illinois’s 9th Congressional District encompasses all of Evanston and some nearby municipalities. Schakowsky, who has held her seat since 1998, faces no opposition from her own party.

Susanne AtanusAtanus (Weinberg ’81), a Des Plaines resident, filed as a Republican. She worked as a contracting officer at the U.S. General Services Administration and as a substitute teacher. Atanus received a degree in political science at Northwestern, according to her Web site. She also holds a Master of Business Arts and Master of Public Administration.Atanus ran as a write-in candidate in 2008, garnering 0.01 percent of the vote.Joel Barry PollakPollak, 32, a Skokie resident, also filed as a Republican. He works as a human rights attorney. He graduated from Harvard University in 1999 and worked as a freelance journalist, tutor and political speech writer. He returned to Harvard for his law degree, which he received in June, according to his Web site.Simon RibeiroRibeiro, 28, an Evanston resident, filed to seek the Green Party nomination. He works as a private tutor and substitute teacher in Chicago and Evanston. He graduated from Northeastern Illinois University in 2005 with degrees in political science and history.Ribeiro ran for U.S. representative in 2006 as a Green Party candidate and in a special election earlier this year for the 5th Congressional district to replace Rahm Emanuel.Morris ShanfieldShanfield, 77, a Chicago resident, is running for the Green Party nomination. He is a retired journalist and newspaper subscription salesman. Shanfield ran for U.S. representative in the last election on the Green ticket after facing no competition in the Green primary. He received 3.3 percent of the vote.Election day is November 2, 2010.[email protected]