Democrats
sweep in area
By William S. Bike
As they did across the nation, Democrats swept in the ten communities comprising this area.
In the 3rd Congressional District, Gazette-endorsed incumbent Democratic Congressman Daniel Lipinski beat Republican Ray Wardingley 64,214 to 18,738.
The 4th Congressional District saw Gazette-backed incumbent Democrat Luis Gutierrez beat Republican Ann Melichar 47,274 to 7,220.
Incumbent Democratic 7th District Congressman Danny K. Davis, endorsed by the Gazette, won with 84,943 votes over Republican Charles Hutchinson, who got 13,503.
In an unusual three-way race in the 1st State Senate District. Gazette-endorsed incumbent Democrat Antonio Munoz got 18,423 votes and won over Republican Rose Pappas, who got 2,458, and Chicago Tribune-endorsed Green Party candidate Dorian Breuer, who got 1,247.
The 3rd State Senate District saw Gazette-backed incumbent Democrat Mattie Hunter beat Republican Chad Surles 32,573 to 3,817.
In the 13th State Senate District, Gazette-endorsed incumbent Democrat Kwame Raoul won with 47,518 votes to Republican Charles Kinzer's 5,463.
In the 2nd State House District, incumbent Democrat Edward Acevedo won. He had run unopposed. In the 4th District, incumbent Democrat Cynthia Soto also ran unopposed and won.
The 5th State House District saw Gazette-endorsed Democratic incumbent Ken Dunkin beat Chicago Tribune-endorsed Keely Drukala 17,487 to 2,815.
In the 6th, unopposed Democratic incumbent Esther Golar also won.
The 9th House District saw Gazette-endorsed Democratic incumbent Arthur Turner win with 19,311 votes to Republican Myra Bland's 2,324.
In the 26th House District, Gazette-backed incumbent Democrat Elga Jefferies won with 25,015 over Republican Gregory McClure, who got 4,441.
In the race for Cook County Board President, Democrat Todd Stroger won with 641,980 over Gazette-endorsed Republican Tony Peraica, who got 547,225. Stroger won all the wards in this area.
Incumbent Democratic County Clerk David Orr, endorsed by the Gazette, won over Republican Nancy Carlson 958,263 to 224,491.
There will be a new County Sheriff, as Gazette-endorsed Thomas Dart, Democrat, won over Republican Peter Garza 873,731 to 291,466.
The county retains its incumbent Democratic Treasurer, Maria Pappas, who beat Republican Erick Peck 995,809 to 190,420. The Gazette endorsed Pappas.
Democrat James Houlihan, endorsed by the Gazette, remains County Assessor. He beat Republican Ralph Conner 936,809 to 223,986.
The 1st District County Board race saw Gazette-endorsed incumbent Democrat Earlean Collins win with 64,635 over Henrietta Butler, the Republican candidate, who got 5,795.
Acting County Board President and Democrat Bobbie Steele goes back to her 2nd District County Board seat, having beaten Scott Kummer 57,195 to 7,736. The Gazette endorsed Steele.
The "Iceman," Jerry Butler, kept cool by retaining his 3rd District County Board seat. The Gazette-endorsed Democrat won 70,572 to 7,630 over Republican Maurice Perkins.
Joseph Mario Moreno, the incumbent Democratic 7th District County Commissioner, won in his unopposed race.
In the 11th District Cook County Board race, incumbent Democrat John P. Daley got 62,073 votes to Republican Carl Segvich's 15,823. The Gazette endorsed Daley.
Despite
the University of Illinois at Chicago community's being upset with incumbent
Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich for using its members' pension
money to balance the State budget, he won all of the wards in this area.
Overall, he and Lieutenant Governor Patrick Quinn got 1,648,368 votes
to Republicans' Judy Baar Topinka's and Joseph Birkett's 1,318,420 and
Green Party candidates Rich Whitney's and Julie Samuels' 345,372. The
Gazette endorsed Blagojevich and Quinn. With Whitney and Samuels having
cracked ten percent, however, the Greens become an established party with an
automatic slot on the ballot in the future.
Gazette-endorsed incumbent Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan won with 2,399,430 over Republican Stewart Umholtz, who got 806,288, and Green Party candidate David Black, who got 109,576.
Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Jesse White,
who also is the 27th Ward Committeeman and who was endorsed by the
Gazette, got 2,093,557 over Republican Dan Rutherford and his
1,110,526 and Green Party candidate Karen Peterson with 139,399.
Gazette-endorsed incumbent Democratic State Comptroller Dan Hynes won with 2,090,522 over Republican Carole Pankau and her 1,029,880 and Green Party candidate Alicia Snyder, who got 139,300.
Newcomer Alexi Giannoulias, a Democrat, won as State Treasurer with 1,746,856 votes over Gazette-endorsed Republican Christine Radogno, who got 1,343,200, and Green Party candidate Dan Rodriguez-Schlorff, who got 156,679.
The assault weapons ban, endorsed by the Gazette, passed 542,904 to 80,079. A referendum to increase the minimum wage, endorsed by the Gazette, passed 538,680 to 92,607. A referendum seeking a U.S. pullout from Iraq, backed by the Gazette, won 456,091 to 167,446.
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