Tight races mark Tuesday’s primary election

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Many Illinois residents went to bed Tuesday night not knowing who would be the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor, and they woke up to the same situation Wednesday morning. As of press time, both elections were considered still too close to call.

With 100 percent of the state’s precincts reporting, on the Republican side, Bill Brady had 155,263 votes, or 20.3 percent to Kirk Dillard’s 154,857 votes. Andy McKenna had 19 percent; Jim Ryan had 17 percent; Adam Andrzejewski had 15 percent; Dan Proft had 8 percent; and Robert Schillerstrom had the remaining 1 percent of the vote.

Locally, the 2,682 Republican primary voters gave Brady the nod with 27 percent of the vote to 20 percent for Andrzejewski and 17 percent for Dillard. McKenna was fourth with 16 percent.

Statewide, Republican voters gave Mark Kirk a resounding victory in his efforts to become senator with 419,149 votes, of 56.6 percent. Patrick Hughes came in second, with 19.3 percent of the vote, followed by Donald Lowery with 9 percent, Kathleen Thomas with 7 percent, Andy Martin with 5 percent and John Arrington with 3 percent.

Bureau County voters also preferred Kirk, giving him 48 percent of the vote to 20 percent for Hughes.

Voters appeared to choose Jason Plummer in the also still too close to call lieutenant governor race with 237,646 votes, or 34 percent of the total. Plummer slipped past Matt Murphy by a little less than 5,000 votes. Also running were Don Tracy with 11 percent, Brad Cole with 9 percent, Dennis Cook with 8 percent and Randy White with 5 percent.

Local voters also chose Plummer, also giving him 34 percent of the vote.

Judy Baar Topinka sailed to an easy victory in her race to regain the comptroller seat, with 429,812 votes, or 59 percent. Second place was claimed by William Kelly, with 22 percent, followed by Jim Dodge with 19 percent.

Area voters chose Topinka by an even bigger margin, giving her 60 percent of the ballots cast, to Kelly’s 23 percent.

Despite withdrawing from the race in January, Princeton’s David White came in second in the 11th Congressional District race with 10.4 percent of the vote. Adam Kinzinger was the overwhelming winner in that race with 32,121 votes, or 63.7 percent. Other vote-getters were David McAloon, with just under 10 percent, Henry Meers with 9 percent and Darrel Miller with 7 percent. Kinzinger will face Rep. Debbie Halvorson in November.

Kinzinger also won in Bureau County, with an even higher 68 percent of the ballots cast, but White again came in second, with 13 percent of the ballots.

In the 14th Congressional District, Randy Hultgren defeated Ethan Hastert with 34,735 votes, or 55 percent. Hultgren will face Rep. Bill Foster and Green Party candidate Daniel Kairis in November.

Of the 61 Bureau County residents who voted in the race, Hastert received 55 percent of the votes.

Turning to the Democrats, also with 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Gov. Pat Quinn had 460,376 votes, or 50.4 percent to Dan Hynes 452,286 votes.

Locally, the 1,331 Democratic primary voters opted to give Quinn another chance, giving him 692 votes, or 53 percent of the total.

Statewide, Democratic voters chose Alexi Giannoulias to run for Sen. Roland Burris’ seat. Giannoulias received 351,120 votes, or 39 percent, edging out Daniel Hoffman, with 34 percent, Cheryle Jackson with 20 percent, Robert Marshall with 6 percent and Jacob Meister with 2 percent.

Giannoulias was more popular in Bureau County, with 45 percent of the vote to Hoffman’s 28 percent.

Voters chose Scott Cohen with 212,902 votes, or 26 percent as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. Arthur Turner came in second with 22 percent, followed by Rickey Hendon with 14 percent, Boland and Thomas Castillo, each with 13 percent, and Terry Link with 12 percent.

Locally, voters preferred Boland from Moline giving him 418 votes, or 36 percent of the total. Cohen received 21 percent.

In another race still too close to call, David Miller received 392,000 votes, or 47 percent, in the comptroller race to inch past Raja Krishnamoorthi, with 46 percent of the vote. Clint Krislov received 8 percent.

Miller was more popular in Bureau County with 52 percent of the vote to Krishnamoorthi’s 36 percent.

For treasurer, Robin Kelly received 470,553 votes, or 58 percent, to win the nomination over Justin Oberman, with 42 percent of the vote.

In Bureau County, Kelly received 52 percent of the vote.

In the 18th Congressional District Deirdre Hirner received 13,652 votes, or 54 percent, to defeat Carl Ray for the nomination. Hirner will face Rep. Aaron Schock and Green Party candidate Sheldon Schafer in November.

Locally, voters gave Hirner 57 percent of the vote.

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