10 things to know about Tuesday's primary election results

2018年3月21日星期三

10 things to know about Tuesday's primary election results

Topspin

The upshot on Tuesday night's primary election: The chairman of the Cook County Democrats went down, a political comeback attempt by an ex-governor fell short, and a sitting governor got the scare of his political career.

Let's break it down:

1. Big wins for big spenders: Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic nominee J.B. Pritzker are left standing after a bruising governor primary on both sides. For Rauner, the narrow margin of his victory over state Rep. Jeanne Ives represents a significant blow as he tries to win re-election in a Democratic-leaning state. Pritzker beat Kenilworth developer Chris Kennedy and Evanston state Sen. Daniel Biss after putting nearly $70 million into his campaign. Still, half of Democratic voters preferred someone else to the nominee.

2. Berrios goes down: Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios conceded to challenger Fritz Kaegi in a race chock full of legal and voting questions that lingered as late as Tuesday. If Kaegi's victory stands – a third candidate filed a legal challenge Tuesday evening – it would also mark a loss for the Cook County Democratic establishment Berrios leads and for his ally, state party chairman Michael Madigan. Momentum for Kaegi, a mutual fund asset manager from Oak Park, was built on his pledge to make the property tax assessment system fairer, theme bolstered by the Tribune's and Pro-Publica Illinois' "The Tax Divide" series.

3. Lipinski bests Newman, maybe: U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski clung to a narrow lead late Tuesday, and challenger Marie Newman didn't concede. "I would like Mr. Lipinski to have a very painful evening," she said. "So we are going to wait." The race was seen as a national encapsulation of progressives' war on more conservative Democrats. Lipinski did well in the city and held margins there big enough to hold off Newman's success in the suburbs.

4. No return for Quinn: Former Gov. Pat Quinn fell short in his bid to return to statewide office, ceding the Democratic attorney general nomination to state Sen. Kwame Raoul. Urbana attorney and former Miss America Erika Harold prevailed on the Republican side.

5. Burke dynasty threatened: State Rep. Dan Burke lost to young challenger Aaron Ortiz, who was backed by Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia. The fallout could include Garcia looking for a challenger to longtime 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke, who saw his brother go down to defeat in a heavily Latino territory. A primer on that possibility here.

6. Silverstein lost bigly: State Sen. Ira Silverstein scored only 30 percent of the vote in his re-election bid, losing to union lobbyist Ram Villavalam. Silverstein held the seat for nearly 20 years, but a victims right advocate publicly accused him of sexual harassment on Oct. 31. Although a legislative watchdog cleared him of that charge, Silverstein was found to have engaged in conduct unbecoming of a state legislator. Senate President John Cullerton came to Silverstein's aide, but it proved a lost cause. Looking ahead, 50th Ward Ald. Debra Silverstein is expected to be on the city ballot next year. Will her husband's loss Tuesday lead her to be viewed as politically vulnerable?

7. Preckwinkle regains strength: County Board President Toni Preckwinkle thumped ex-Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti. When Preckwinkle rolled out a last-minute endorsement by former President Barack Obama over the weekend, it could have portended a close contest. Turns out, Preckwinkle simply wasn't taking any chances. She got 60 percent of the vote to win in a landslide. For Preckwinkle, that could help strengthen her hand during what she has said will be her final term. Preckwinkle had been damaged after her high-profile failed pop tax last year.

8. Fritchey loses: John Fritchey, a former state lawmaker who's been on the County Board, lost his re-election bid. Fritchey opposed the pop tax but got smoked by 10 percentage points by challenger Bridget Degnan, who was backed by unions.

9. Pot question passes: Cook County voters favored legalizing recreational marijuana use by a wide margin – 68 percent in favor to 32 percent against. But pot is not legal this morning. The ballot question was advisory, but state lawmakers looking to legalize weed could point to the tally when trying to round up support at the Capitol.

10. IL-10 too close to call?: Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider might have to wait a little longer to find out who his fall opponent is. Less than 300 votes separated conservative Douglas Bennett from Jeremy Wynes, a first-time candidate.

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel has no public events scheduled.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner will start a statewide campaign tour in St. Charles.

What we're writing (primary election edition)

*Fall governor race look-ahead: Rauner-Pritzker campaign expected to be expensive, brutal and long.

*Republican governor primary: Rauner claims narrow victory over Ives.

*Democratic governor primary: Pritzker cruises to win after $70 million campaign.

*Attorney general: Raoul emerges victorious, ending Quinn's comeback attempt. GOP's Harold easily wins.

*Cook County assessor: Embattled Berrios concedes to challenger Kaegi.

*Cook County board president: Preckwinkle skates despite pop tax backlash. In commissioner races, Fritchey loses.

*IL-3: Lipinski with slim lead over challenger Newman.

*IL-4: "Chuy" Garcia headed toward a promotion to Congress.