The 2024 Illinois Primary race for Cook County State’s Attorney was the closest contest of the night, with Clayton Harris III and Eileen O’Neill Burke running almost even.
According to ABC 7 Chicago, Burke led, garnering 51% of the vote, with Harris about 10,000 votes behind at 49% as of 9:40 p.m. Tuesday.
More than 100,000 mail-in ballots have been requested, and returned ballots sent by today will be counted within the next two weeks. The winner will compete against Republican Bob Fioretti and Libertarian Andrew Charles Kopinski.
Whoever comes out on top between Harris and O’Neill Burke is expected to win the open seat in the November general election.
Danny Davis Wins Competitive 7th District Primary
U.S. Rep Danny Davis beat out four challengers in the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional seat. With his primary victory, the 82-year-old Congressman appears poised to win another term come November in his heavily Democratic district,
Davis, elected in 1997, faced questions about his age but acknowledged strong support from his diverse district, spanning downtown Chicago, south and west neighborhoods, and suburbs. Davis emphasized community roots, expecting support from residents.
“Our roots are deep in this community and not just one area or one part of it,” he told the Associated Press on Tuesday evening. “We knew our people would rise to the occasion.”
Congressman Davis faced stiff competition from Kina Collins, whom he defeated in the 2022 primary despite her garnering 45% of the vote, Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Chicago educator Nikhil Bhatia and Kouri Marshall, a former deputy director for Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
‘Bring Chicago Home’ Appears Headed for Defeat
The referendum referred to as “Bring Chicago Home” appeared headed for defeat late last night.
The “Yes” votes consistently trailed behind the “No” votes by approximately 8%, making the ballot measure unlikely to pass.
BCH aimed to amend the real estate transfer tax so that anyone purchasing a piece of property under $1 million would pay a lesser rate, and anyone buying a property over $1 million would pay more.
The revenue generated from this increase on properties $1 million and above would help alleviate homelessness in Chicago by providing services such as mental health treatment, job training and educational opportunities.
The measure, supported by Mayor Brandon Johnson, resulted from years of grassroots organizing by a broad progressive coalition to address the issue of affordable housing and homelessness in the city.
While the referendum appeared to be defeated, the Bring Chicago Home coalition issued a statement late last night that the fate of the measure had yet to be decided:
“The Bring Chicago Home campaign exists in the long lineage of past and present struggles for fair housing, civil rights, and economic justice. While tonight’s election results are disappointing, we are nowhere near the end of our journey.
There are still 100,000 outstanding mail-in ballots to be counted, but whatever the final count, one thing is abundantly clear tonight: how determined our opponents are to continue profiting from displacement and inequality. From landlords sending intimidating emails to tenants to a legal challenge attempting to invalidate the results, the realtors, corporate landlords, and mega-developers fought us at every turn.
Our broad-based coalition–made up of homeless and formerly homeless people, union members, faith leaders, social service providers, community organizations, and grassroots volunteers–is determined to keep fighting for housing justice. Together, our city-wide field program knocked over 300,000 doors, made over 600,000 phone calls, and sent over 1 million text messages across all 50 wards. This is the work that makes our movement stronger over the long haul, no matter the final result.”
Biden and Trump Enjoy Resounding Victories in Their Presidential Primaries
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump romped in their respective party primaries in Illinois, edging toward a rematch in the November general election.
After the results of the Democratic and Republican primaries, Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez released the following statement:
“Congratulations to President Biden on his resounding victory in Illinois’ Democratic Primary Election. The Biden-Harris Administration has delivered for the American people by strengthening the economy, revitalizing American industry, expanding access to health care, investing in infrastructure, providing student debt relief, and more.
“Another Trump administration would be disastrous for Illinois and for America; we can’t afford to go backwards. While Donald Trump’s victory in the Republican primary is disappointing, it is not surprising, and the Illinois GOP will once again betray our state’s values and vow fealty to the dictator on the top of their ticket.
“Illinoisans recognize the importance of continuing the progress we’ve made under President Biden’s leadership, and will prove that once again in November by rejecting Trump’s MAGA agenda.”
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy also released a statement in the aftermath of Trump’s dominating primary win:
“Today’s votes have made it clear that Republicans are energized to elect strong leaders who will fight for us in Springfield and Washington! Together, we can send President Trump back to the White House, reelect our brilliant Congressional delegation including Representative Mike Bost, and secure victories in the Statehouse to bring Governor Pritzker to the negotiating table to rework his radical agenda.
It’s time for Republicans to unify and move forward to build a brighter future for Illinois. Onward to November!”
Check back for more updates.
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