Democrats turn out in big numbers for Illinois primary
CHICAGO (AP) - Democrats turned out for Illinois' primary in higher numbers than the left-leaning state has seen for a midterm election in more than a decade, deciding several hotly contested races and signaling the November election could be even tougher-than-usual for the GOP.
More than 1.2 million people voted in Tuesday's Democratic primary. That was nearly double the number who cast Republican primary ballots and a roughly 25 percent increase over 2010, the last time Democrats had a competitive gubernatorial primary.
In several districts currently held by Republican congressmen - areas where Democrats have sometimes struggled to field even one candidate - roughly a half dozen Democrats sought the nomination. Many of them were motivated by President Donald Trump's election and his policies.
FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2018 file photo Democratic candidate for the 3rd congressional district Marie Newman speaks with supporters at a campaign event in LaGrange, Ill. (AP Photo by Sara Burnett File)
One of the most conservative Democrats in Congress narrowly won his primary. Voters also picked a likely successor to longtime Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez as well as the winners in primaries for governor, attorney general and legislative races. Here's a look:
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CONGRESS:
Seven-term Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski survived a challenge from political newcomer Marie Newman in the 3rd Congressional District. She was backed by progressive groups and lawmakers including Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Newman called Lipinski, who is anti-abortion and voted against the Affordable Care Act, a "full-on Republican" whose positions no longer reflect those of the heavily Democratic district that includes parts of Chicago and its suburbs.
Lipinski called Newman and her supporters a "tea party of the left," and said their intolerance for differing viewpoints within the party could end up hurting Democrats.
Seven Democrats were looking to take on GOP Rep. Peter Roskam for the seat representing the 6th Congressional District. Voters in the suburban Chicago district supported Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016, making it one of Democrats' top pick-up possibilities in November.
"We deserve a representative who will represent us," said candidate Kelly Mazeski.
Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia won the Democratic primary to replace Gutierrez, a race that included activist Sol Flores and Chicago police officer Richard Gonzalez.
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GOVERNOR
Billionaire J.B. Pritzker won the Democratic nomination for Illinois governor, defeating five others including Chris Kennedy, nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, and state Sen. Daniel Biss, a self-described "middle-class candidate."
Pritzker has put roughly $70 million into his campaign as he now turns his attention to the November election.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner narrowly escaped a primary challenge from the right. State Rep. Jeanne Ives, a fiscal and social conservative, argued the first-term governor betrayed the party on issues such as immigration and abortion.
A Pritzker/Rauner matchup in the general election was expected to make the contest the most expensive governor's race in U.S. history, with Rauner already spending freely from his own personal fortune.
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ATTORNEY GENERAL
State Sen Kwame Raoul declared victory over an eight-Democrat field for attorney general after receiving a concession call from runner-up former Gov. Pat Quinn. Attorney General Lisa Madigan's surprise announcement that she wouldn't seek a fifth term prompted the large group of hopefuls to get into the race.
The senator said that he will "expand upon" Madigan's work, adding that he has "big shoes to fill."
Raoul and Quinn battled it out through competing campaign ads in the final push of the primary election, accusing each other of conflicts of interest and other inappropriate behavior. Also running were state Rep. Scott Drury, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, former Civilian Office of Police Accountability administrator Sharon Fairley, former Illinois State Board of Education chairman Jesse Ruiz, MSNBC legal contributor Renato Mariotti and Aaron Goldstein, a member of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's defense team.
Attorney and former Miss America Erika Harold won the Republican nomination, soundly defeating former Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso. Harold scored contributions from Rauner and backing from the Illinois Republican Party.
She said she is committed to represent "all Illinoisans regardless of political affiliation," promising to be an independent voice that can stand up to political corruption.
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LEGISLATURE
Deep intra-party divisions also have surfaced in legislative primaries.
A conservative political action committee that once backed Rauner is now supporting challengers to GOP House members who helped Democrats approve an income tax hike to end a state budget stalemate last year. The group also funded a challenge to House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, who didn't vote for the tax increase but attracted conservative anger for his failure to hold his caucus together and stop it. Durkin won easily.
Chicago Democratic state Sen. Ira Silverstein was ousted after a 20-year career. A victims-rights advocate accused Silverstein of sexual harassment for sending inappropriate messages while they worked on legislation. The legislative inspector general declared there was no sexual harassment but that Silverstein had acted unprofessionally. He lost handily to Ram Villivalam, a union activist.
Longtime Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, a near-constant GOP target, was also an issue in several Democratic primaries.
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CYBERSECURITY
Election officials say Illinois is remaining vigilant against cybersecurity risks after Russian hackers were able to breach the state's voter registration systems in 2016.
State Board of Elections spokesman Matt Dietrich says state officials have been working with the Department of Homeland Security to test Illinois' voting registration systems weekly for vulnerabilities.
Dietrich said he doesn't anticipate any issues with the voting systems themselves, as a hacker would need physical access to the machines.
Russian agents targeted elections systems in 21 states ahead of the 2016 election, according to DHS. In Illinois, hackers accessed 76,000 active voter registration records but were unable to add, change or delete any data.
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Associated Press reporter John O'Connor contributed from Springfield.
FILE - In this April 14, 2016 file photo Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais File)
FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2018 file photo, U.S. House 4th district Democratic candidate Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, speaks before the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board in Chicago. (Rich Hein/Sun Times via AP File)
FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2018 file photo, U.S. House 4th district Democratic candidate Sol A. Flores, speaks before the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board in Chicago. (Rich Hein/Sun Times via AP File)
FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2018 file photo, U.S. House 4th district Democratic candidate Richard Gonzalez, speaks before the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board in Chicago. (Rich Hein/Sun Times via AP File)
FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2018 file photo, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner delivers his State of the State address at the Capitol, in Springfield, Ill. (Rich Saal/The State Journal-Register via AP File)
FILE - In this Jan. 2018 file photo Illinois Republican Gubernatorial candidate Jeanne Ives, speaks to the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board in Chicago. (Rich Hein/Sun Times via AP File)
FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2018 file photo, Illinois Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker participates in a forum with the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board in Chicago. (Rich Hein/Sun Times via AP File)
FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2018 file photo, Illinois Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Kennedy participates in a forum with the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board in Chicago. (Rich Hein/Sun Times via AP File)
FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2018 file photo, Illinois Democratic gubernatorial candidate Daniel Biss participates in a forum with the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board in Chicago. (Rich Hein/Sun Times via AP File)
In this Jan. 8, 2018 photo, Democratic Illinois attorney general candidate Pat Quinn, speaks at a forum for Democratic candidates in Chicago. (Kevin Tanaka/Sun Times via AP File)
In this Jan. 8, 2018 photo, Democratic Illinois attorney general candidate Kwame Raoul, speaks at a forum for Democratic candidates in Chicago. (Kevin Tanaka/Sun Times via AP File)
In this Jan. 8, 2018 photo, Democratic Illinois attorney general candidate Scott Drury, speaks at a forum for Democratic candidates in Chicago. (Kevin Tanaka/Sun Times via AP File)
FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2016 file photo, Democratic Illinois attorney general candidate Nancy Rotering, speaks in Lincolnshire, Ill. (Steve Lundy/Daily Herald via AP, File)
In this Jan. 8, 2018 photo, Democratic Illinois attorney general candidate Sharon Fairley, speaks at a forum for Democratic candidates in Chicago. (Kevin Tanaka/Sun Times via AP File)
In this Jan. 8, 2018 photo, Democratic Illinois attorney general candidate Jesse Ruiz, speaks at a forum for Democratic candidates in Chicago. (Kevin Tanaka/Sun Times via AP File)
In this Jan. 8, 2018 photo, Democratic Illinois attorney general candidate Renato Mariotti, speaks at a forum for Democratic candidates in Chicago. (Kevin Tanaka/Sun Times via AP File)
In this Jan. 8, 2018 photo, Democratic Illinois attorney general candidate Aaron Goldstein, speaks at a forum for Democratic candidates in Chicago. (Kevin Tanaka/Sun Times via AP File)
FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2017, file photo, Republican Illinois attorney general candidate Erika Harold speaks to The City Club of Chicago, in Chicago. (AP Photo by Sophia Tareen File)
FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2018 File photo, Republican Illinois attorney general candidate Gary Grasso speaks to The Chicago Sun-Times in Chicago. (Rich Hein/Sun Times via AP File)
