Legislative Primary Results
Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) and victorious 12th District Democratic candidate Paul Kendrick celebrate primary victories Tuesday night. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
Here’s a rundown of some high profile open legislative races Tuesday night:
Shantel Franklin, a former legislative liaison to Attorney General Kwame Raoul, won the 8th District primary to replace outgoing Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago), who won the Democratic nomination for the 7th Congressional District. With about 88% of the vote counted around 10:45 last night, Franklin led her nearest competitor 46% to 26%.
In the Democratic primary in the 12th District, Paul Kendrick, a former Obama White House and Pritzker campaign staffer, won the race to replace likely Democratic Comptroller nominee Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago). With about 90% of ballots counted as of 10:30 last night, Kendrick led nearest challenger Litcy Ludvic Kurisinkal 48% to 23%.
In a bit of a surprise in the 13th House District, Demi Palecek, a National Guard member who said she would refuse orders if the Guard were deployed to Illinois, won a four-way primary to replace Rep. Hoan Huynh (D-Chicago), who lost a race for Congress. Palecek led with 42% of the vote to nearest challenger James O’Brien’s 28% when the AP called the race shortly before 11pm last night.
In the 34th House District, stretching from the south side of Chicago along the Indiana line to the Kankakee area, Cleopatra Cowley, a gun violence advocate who lost her daughter, Hadiya Pendleton, to gun violence in 2013. She defeated Aja Kearney by a 59% to 41% margin as of around midnight. She will replace Rep. Nick Smith (D-Chicago), who isn’t seeking re-election.
There will be a rematch in the northwest suburban 52nd House District after Democrat Maria Peterson won the hance to take on Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) in round two of a race McLaughlin won by 47 votes in 2024. Peterson defeated Barrington School Board member Erin Chan Ding by around 7,300 votes to around 4,000 votes, a 65% to 35% margin. Democrats believe McLaughlin is one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the state in November.
There will be a rematch in the 76th House District seat in the Ottawa/LaSalle-Peru/DeKalb area. Republican Liz Bishop won the GOP nomination over Crystal Loughran with around 2,500 votes to around 1,600 votes, a 60%-40% margin, with 95% of ballots counted as of around 11pm last night. Bishop will have a rematch with Rep. Amy Murri Briel (D-Ottawa), who won the first race two years ago by around 500 votes.
DuPage County Board Member Saba Haider won the Democratic nomination for the 84th House District to replace Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego), who ran for State Comptroller. Haider defeated Jared Ploger by around 6,300 votes to around 3,700 votes, a 63%-37% margin with 96% of the vote counted as of 12:30 this morning.
In the 118th District, former radio host Scott Doody defeated Freedom Caucus-backed candidate Harold Visser in the southern Illinois district being vacated by Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona), who is seeking a seat in the senate. Doody had around 4,500 votes to Visser’s about 3,000 votes with around 92% of votes counted as of around 11:15 last night.
In the hotly contested 9th Senate District, Patrick Hanley, a small business owner and investment manager defeated attorney Rachel Ruttenberg with around 20,700 votes to around 19,500 votes when the race was called for Hanley by the AP around last night.
Senate Republicans took a loss in their effort to hold on to the suburban 33rd District being vacated by Sen. Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles). Nurse Danielle Penman of St. Charles defeated the Senate GOP backed candidate, travel agency owner Jessica Breugelmans, by a margin of around 7,000 votes to around 5,000 votes, a difference of around 59% to 41%. The AP called the race for Penman around 10:30 last night.
Former Illinois State Police Trooper Brad Beekman is the GOP nominee to take on Sen. Mike Halpin (D-Moline) in one of the potentially competitive senate races in November. Beekman defeated trucker Patrick Harlan with around 5,400 votes to about 4,700 votes, a difference of around 53% to 47%. The AP called the race for Beekman around 11:30 last night.
Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) captured the 59th Senate District GOP nomination over Franklin County Treasurer Stephen Vercellino. He’s aiming to replace Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), who isn’t seeking re-election. Jacobs had around 73% of the vote when the race was called a little after 10 last night.
