While most of the focus this morning is obviously on the presidential race, there were some important political battles that played out in Illinois yesterday. Democrats swept their statewide campaigns. But Republicans had some gains in Springfield, winning a few seats in the state House and state Senate. Illinois Public Radio’s Tony Arnold has this round-up of Illinois’ top campaigns.
Donald Trump won in two Chicago area counties… the reliably republican McHenry and Kendall counties. Hillary Clinton won the other collar counties. She won really big in Cook, and she won the state of Illinois.
Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein each finished statewide with less than 5 percent.
Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth showed very similar numbers to Clinton. Duckworth won the state’s U-S Senate seat from Republican incumbent Mark Kirk. In her acceptance speech - Duckworth tried to articulate what unites Republicans and Democrats.
DUCKWORTH: No matter who you voted for today, we are all in this together. President Kennedy told us that our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children’s futures, and we all are mortal.
Kirk, in his short concession speech, had something a little more down to earth in mind. He said he wants to meet Duckworth for drinks at Chicago’s Billy Goat Tavern for what he called a beer summit.
KIRK: This coming beer summit will show kids across Illinois that opponents can peacefully bury the hatchet after a tough election. What unites us as Americans is much stronger than what divides us.
Making the way down your ballot - the race for Illinois Comptroller was a little closer than the presidential and senate races.
Still - Chicago City Clerk - Susana Mendoza won with about 49 percent of the vote over incumbent Leslie Munger, who had 45 percent.
Mendoza didn’t hide her excitement in her victory speech - echoing back to her ads which acknowledged that most voters know very little about the office… almost nothing in fact, not even how to pronounce it.
MENDOZA: Can you say comptroller?
She also took a more serious turn - acknowledging that women won the vote in Illinois for president, Senator, Comptroller, and Cook County State’s Attorney.
MENDOZA: These are unbelievable women who will serve Illinois and the City of Chicago and Cook County with great distinction, no doubt about it.
Her opponent - incumbent Comptroller Leslie Munger - said she wouldn’t have campaigned any differently looking back.
MUNGER: I feel like we did everything we could do to be successful. And we ran a great campaign that was positive, that gave people a reason to vote for me.
Munger’s campaign benefited from 9 million dollars that can sourced back to Governor Bruce Rauner and two of his wealthy allies. Numerous state Republican state House and state Senate campaigns were also pumped up with the help of money tied to Rauner. For all that money spent - Democrats will lose their supermajority in the House - but not their majority.
A few seats flipped to Republican - particularly in Kankakee and far downstate.
And one Republican seat flipped Democrat. Chris Mooney is a political science professor at the University of Illinois. He said for all that money spent - Illinois Republicans could’ve expected more.
MOONEY: How’s that expression go? It’s a long way to go, very little to show.
Still - both sides in Springfield declared overall victory for the night. Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan said in a statement Democrats will protect the middle class while Republicans push a corporate agenda. And Republican House Leader Jim Durkin saying that by breaking the supermajority - voters sent a message for Democrats to work with Rauner.