By William S. Bike

As predicted in the Gazette, locals did indeed have to grab their snow shovels to go vote on Feb. 2. Races generally were competitive, and the low turnout made for some surprise upsets and close races.

In the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Alexi Giannoulias, with 351,120 votes and 38.9%, edged David Hoffman with 303,719 and 33.7%. Hoffman had been endorsed by the Gazette. Also in the race were Cheryle Jackson with 19.8%, Robert Marshall with 5.7%, and Jacob Meister with 1.8%.

The Republican U.S. Senate primary saw Mark Kirk win with 419,149 and 56.6%. Bringing up the rear were Patrick Hughes with 19.3%, Don Lowery with 8.9%, Kathleen Thomas with 7.3%, Andy Martin with 5.0%, and Gazette-endorsed John Arrington with 2.8%.

In the 1st Congressional District, Gazette-endorsed incumbent Bobby Rush won nomination for another term with 68,229 and 79.7% over Joanne Guillemette with 7,992 and 9.3%. Fred Smith got 6.0%, and Harold Bailey got 4.9%.

The 3rd Congressional District Democratic race saw Gazette-endorsed Dan Lipinski garner 57,477 for 77.9% over Jorge Mujica’s 16,313 for 22.1%.

Gazette-endorsed Danny Davis took the Democratic nomination in the 7th Congressional District with 52,452 for 66.8% over Sharon Dixon’s 10,793 for 13.7%. Darlena Williams-Burnett got 12.9%, and Jim Ascot tallied 6.6%.

Danny Davis, endorsed by the Gazette, also won his race for 7th District Democratic Committeeman. He cruised with 59,871 votes for 80.3%, to 7,906 for Brian Henderson with 10.6%. Edward James finished with 9.1%.

Darlena Williams-Burnett also lost her race for 7th District Democratic Committeewoman. Karen Yarbrough got 37,104 votes for 53.4% over the Gazette-endorsed Williams-Burnett’s 32,322 for 46.6%.

For Governor, the Gazette-endorsed Pat Quinn got 460,391 votes for 50.4% for a razor-thin victory in the Democratic primary over Dan Hynes, who garnered 452,304 or 49.6%.

The Republican Governor’s race remains too close to call. Gazette-endorsed Bill Brady garnered 155,327 votes for 20.3% and an apparent victory, however, Kirk Dillard wants a recount based on his current tally of 154,907 votes, for 20.2%. Bringing up the rear were Andrew McKenna with 19.3%, Jim Ryan with 17.0%, Adam Andrzejewski with 14.5%, Dan Proft with 7.7%, and Bob Schillerstrom with 1.0%.

Scott Lee Cohen won the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor with 212,902 votes and 26.0% and then dropped out amid scandal. Second was Arthur Turner with 182,432 for 22.3%. Third was Gazette-endorsed Rickey Hendon with 13.8%, followed by Mike Boland with 12.9%, Thomas Michael Castillo with 12.8%, and Terry Link with 12.2%.

On the Republican side, Jason Plummer won the Lieutenant Governor’s nomination with 237,646 or 34.0%. Matt Murphy got 232,924 for 33.3%. Don Tracy got 11.4%, followed by the Gazette-endorsed Brad Cole with 8.8%, Dennis Cook with 7.9%, and Randy White with 4.6%.
Gazette-endorsed David Miller got the Democratic nod for Comptroller with 392,000 or 46.7%. He beat S. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who garnered 383,672 or 45.7%. Clint Krislov finished last with 63,859 or 7.6%.

The Republican Comptroller’s race saw Gazette-endorsed Judy Baar Topinka win easily with 429,812 or 59.2% over William Kelly with 157,417 and 21.7%. Jim Dodge was last with 19.1%.

The Democratic race for Treasurer saw Gazette-endorsed Robin Kelly tally 470,553 for 57.9%, to Justin Oberman’s 342,138 for 42.1%.

In the 1st District Democratic primary for State Senate, Gazette-endorsed Antonio Munoz tallied 8,094 votes for 68.5% over Adolfo Mondragon, who got 3,725 for 31.5%.

The 2nd District Democratic primary for the State House saw Gazette-endorsed Edward Acevedo tally 4,265 for 57.8% over Robert Martinez’s 1,204 for 16.3%. Joe Trutin got 1,058 for 14.3%, and Richard G. Schultz tallied 850 for 11.5%.

The 4th District saw Gazette-endorsed Cynthia Soto easily win the Democratic primary with 5,878 and 87.3% over Jose Massas’s 853 votes for 12.7%.

Gazette-endorsed Ken Dunkin got the Democratic nomination in the 5th District with 4,830 or 44.7% over David Schroeder’s 3,643 or 33.7%. Gwendolyn Drake got 21.6%.

Name recognition got Arthur Turner, son of the former longtime 9th District State Rep, the nod in that district’s Democratic primary. Turner tallied 4,552 for 43.7% over John Burros’s 2,102 or 20.2%. Third was Gazette-endorsed Dorothy Walton with 15.1%. Bruce L. Jackson, Keith L. Jackson, and Jerry L. Patton split the remaining votes.

A surprisingly crowded field in the 10th District was led by incumbent Annazette Collins, who had the Gazette’s endorsement and 3,523 votes for 35.3%. Second was Jonathan Goldman with 2,356 or 23.6%. Joseph Sneed got 12.5%, Eddie Winters garnered 11.9%, Keith D. Muhammad tallied 10.9%, and Mable Taylor finished with 5.8%.

Gazette-endorsed Toni Preckwinkle won the Democratic nomination for County Board President with 280,947 votes for 49.0%, over her nearest challenger, Terrence O’Brien, who got 131,395 for 22.9%. Next was Dorothy Brown with 14.4%. Incumbent Todd Stroger finished dead last with 13.6%.

On the Republican side, Roger Keats scored 94,074 votes for County Board President for 68.7%, over the Gazette-endorsed John Garrido, who got 42,858 for 31.3%.

In the Democratic primary for Cook County Assessor, Joseph Berrios won with 202,674 or 39.2% over Robert Shaw with 176,385 for 34.1%. Gazette-endorsed Ray Figueroa garnered 26.8%.

Gazette-endorsed Tom Dart won the Democratic nomination for County Sheriff with 396,369 for 76.4% over Sylvester Baker with 122,521 for 23.6%.

Incumbent Earlean Collins won the Democratic primary in the 1st County Board Commissioner’s District with 16,904 votes for 47.4%. Adekunle Onayemi was second with 10,596 and 29.7%. Gazette-endorsed Derrick Smith was third with 15.0%, and Chris Harris was last with 7.8%.

In the 2nd District Cook County Commissioner Democratic primary, Robert Steele, endorsed by the Gazette, won with 15,771 votes for 56.7%. Desiree Grode was second with 7,850 for 28.2%. Frank Bass finished third with 12.4%, and Erold Elysse was last with 2.6%.

The 3rd District Cook County Commissioner Democratic primary saw incumbent Jerry “Iceman” Butler win handily with 33,115 votes for 75.8% over Gazette-endorsed Monica Torres-Linares’s 7,413 or 16.9%. Ronald Oliver brought up the rear with 3,158 for 7.2%.

The upset of the election was longtime incumbent Joseph Mario Moreno losing the Democratic nomination for 7th District Cook County Commissioner to Jesus Garcia. Challenger Garcia got 9,646 votes for 54.7% to the Gazette-endorsed Moreno’s 7,992 for 45.3%.