Former State Rep. Robin Kelly
of Matteson has won the Illinois 2nd Congressional District's primary
election Tuesday to become the Democratic nominee in the race to fill
the seat left vacant by disgraced former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.
Kelly will run in the district’s April 9 general
election to replace Jackson Jr., who pled guilty last week to misusing
some $750,000 in campaign funds.
With
more than half of the district's 545 precincts reporting, Kelly won the
special primary with 54 percent of the vote. Major contenders during
Kelly’s campaign were Democratic candidates former congresswoman Debbie Halvorson and Chicago Ald. Anthony Beale (9th).
In the morning hours of today’s primary election for Illinois' 2nd
Congressional District, a blizzard on the horizon and a lack of faith in
elected officials has left many poll workers and voters with a dismal
outlook for voter turnout.
An intense race for the Democratic
nomination that started with 17 candidates has boiled down to three
front-runners, former State Rep. Robin Kelly, former congresswoman Debbie Halvorson and Chicago Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), and comes to an end today.
Illinois polling places are now closed and it may be a while before we
get the final numbers due to ballot problems in at least 25 counties. Stay updated on the latest with our election night liveblog.
It's March 20 and the Illinois primary elections are here. Progress Illinois has reporters on the street talking to voters at the polls and candidates as they make their last push for votes. Check back with our election day liveblog for updates and reports from the polls and campaign trail as well as the latest election news.
Gov. Pat Quinn issued a surprise amendatory veto yesterday afternoon that would allow Illinoisans to vote in primary elections without declaring a party preference publicly. Was the move legal and is it a good idea?
All eyes remain on Illinois today as the national media setsitsgaze
on the shady past of Democratic Lt. Gov. nominee Scott Lee Cohen -- a story overlooked by both local politicians and the media during the primary season. Turns
out that the domestic violence charge the Chicago pawnbroker admitted to
upon jumping into the race involved holding a knife to his ex-girlfriend's neck (who happened to also be a prostitute) and banging her head against a wall. The Sun-Times and the Trib
pulled the gruesome details from a police report. The question now is whether party leaders will be able to somehow remove Cohen from the ballot. Considering that he poured $2.3 million of his own money into the race, it's hard to imagine he'll be easily convinced to withdraw.
Former State Rep. 
In the morning hours of today’s primary election for Illinois' 2nd
Congressional District, a blizzard on the horizon and a lack of faith in
elected officials has left many poll workers and voters with a dismal
outlook for voter turnout.
