Illinois’ legislative primaries had voters from Orland Park to Calumet City choosing between entrenched incumbents and political newcomers promising a fresh take on top issues from crime and property taxes to immigration and education.
The night’s first returns show tight races as low turnout keeps many candidates within striking distance of one another.
Only House District 36, which represents voters from Palos Hills to Beverly, didn’t have an incumbent following the retirement of Rep. Kelly Burke. Democrats Sonia Anne Khalil, who works for the city of Markham, and attorney Rick Ryan face off against each other. Ryan led Khalil with an estimated 57% of the vote and 72% of votes reported, according to The Associated Press.
Khalil criticized Ryan for being censured for mismanaging client funds while Ryan called Khalil inexperienced.
From Chicago Heights down to Kankakee, voters in the 40th Senate District faced a choice between incumbent Democrat Patrick Joyce and Kimberly Earling, who works in transportation.
Joyce was appointed to the seat in November 2019 to replace Sen. Toi Hutchinson, whom Gov. J.B. Pritzker picked to oversee the rollout of Illinois’ foray into legalized production and sales of recreational marijuana. Joyce won a full term in 2020.
Joyce had a large lead early in the night with 77% of the vote with 46% precincts reporting, AP reported.
Senate District 19 has Democratic incumbent Michael Hastings waiting to see which Republican will challenge him for votes in the district spanning Matteson, Frankfort and Homer Glen in November. Three candidates are vying for the opportunity to advance.
The night’s first returns showed a dead heat between Samantha Jean Gasca, a data scientist, opera singer Hillary Mattsey Kurzawa and attorney Max Solomon. All said they are focused on immigration policy, lowering property taxes and promoting school choice. With 58% of votes reported, all three candidates have around 30% of the vote. Gasca had a narrow lead of 36% of the vote with 58% of the total.
In the 79th House District, which covers voters from Hersher to Monee, Republican Rep. Jackie Haas was unopposed and will face one of four Democrats: Kankakee County Board member Robert Ellington-Snipes, Monee Township Trustee William “Billy” Morgan, Kankakee Elementary District 111 Superintendent Genevra Walters and college student Dylan Mill.
With 46% of the vote reported, Morgan and Walters led the pack with 48.65 and 36.5%, AP estimates.
The other area House races had Democratic incumbents trying to fend off challengers while an unopposed Republican moves on.
Rep. Justin Slaughter is seeking reelection in the 27th Illinois House District with special education teacher Tawana “T.J.” Robinson in his way.
While they agreed crime is the No. 1 concern for their voters who are spread between Homer Glen and Orland Hills to Roseland, how they plan to fight crime differs. Slaughter is a vocal supporter for the SAFE-T Act, which abolished the use of cash bail, and he says seeks to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Robinson, the daughter of a police officer, vowed to take a tough on crime approach if elected, promising to focus on banning military style assault weapons and automatic modifications.
“I share the vision of many of my constituents,” Robinson said in a February interview. “I’m a strategic visionary and leader who has the ability to garner support from all stakeholders … to make our vision manifest into a reality.”
Slaughter led Robinson early in the night with 71% of the vote and 66% reporting, AP reported.
In the 35th House District, Democratic incumbent Mary Gill ran in her first election a year after she was appointed to replace Fran Hurley who was tapped by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to the Illinois Labor Relations Board.
Stretching from Orland Park through Alsip and Merrionette Park and into Beverly, the 35th District is home to a mixture of liberal and conservative voters. Gill touted her support for women’s reproductive rights while also sponsoring a bill that would allow for districts to bring back their school resource officer.
“Parents, teachers, community members: people who are involved in their communities should make that decision,” she said in an interview in early March. “The local school councils should be the ones to decide, not downtown.”
Her opponent, David Dewar, who works in life insurance, ran as a Democrat on a more conservative agenda. He promised to push forward bills that would end Illinois’s status as a sanctuary state and opposes much of Gill’s voting record including one in favor of a bill that allows noncitizens to be police officers.
“I believe I have control of the suburbs. They don’t,” said Dewar in early March. “People know who I am: in Alsip, Worth, Palos Heights, Palos Hills and Orland Park.”
Gill had 84% of the vote with two thirds of the vote in, AP reported.
Thaddeus Jones is seeking his eighth term as representative of the skinny 29th House District that travels from Chatham down to Kankakee County. But Gloria White, whose career was spent working as a payroll specialist, said residents are interested in a new leader.
“For so long, a lot of our residents don’t even know what a state rep does, who our state rep is,” she said in a previous interview.
Jones led White with 74% of the vote and more than 70% reporting, AP reported.
The Daily Southtown’s Alexandra Kukulka and Mike Nolan and the Chicago Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner, Olivia Stevens and Oliva Olander contributed. Associated Press contributed.
