Chatham School District in Sangamon County was able to pass a large building referendum, even with a separate sales tax measure for mental health also on the ballot. Both measures passed about 53-47.
- Someone You Should Know - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:04 am:
ook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer. I Hear she just checked out. I don’t understand it. I know her attendance was not stellar so maybe she was as I said checked out.
Two shockers for me:
-Not necessarily that Stratton won, but decisively enough to be called so early.
-Two Cook County Commissioners losing reelection. Those races seemed to fly under the radar (at least for Bridget Gainer, who seemed to be checked out the last few years).
- Someone you should know - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:06 am:
She has been barely visible in a community full of neighborhood festivals and events where it’s very easy to show up with a table/tent at the minimum. A non-controversial incumbent could coast for years, but needs to actually make an effort to show up.
On that note, the fact that Feigenholtz won by only 11 points was a “wow.” A sign that our local politicos need to start working more than just when they’re contested in reelection.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:16 am:
I thought the County Board President race would have been closer. The Tyler Technologies contract was a legitimate scandal. I watched the Fox 32 debate between Reilly and Preckwinkle, and Reilly looked like a twerp if you watched the whole thing. Maybe the voters saw that too.
Maybe it shouldn’t be surprising, but I’d say it’s the bitter post-mortem in the Il-09 congressional race. My takeaway is that Kat lost to a popular politician with years of local experience and name recognition. Going online you would think she lost to a trump adjacent criminal
Definitely Bridget Gainer losing her seat. On Election Night i was checking the Chicago Board of Elections site and had to refresh the screen a few times to make sure I wasnt seeing things.
It appears she simply stopped working or tool it for granted.
I know one thing for sure - had Kim Walz been appointed to that seat in 2009 instead of Gainer that never would have happened. Walz was Quigley’s chief of staff but was passed over in favor of Bridget. Wrong choice.
Bridget Gainer What is going on with her? the attendance issue, going from mayoral candidate to losing so decisively. it’s very strange.
- Malort for All - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:49 am:
Hoan Huynh barely registering any votes. He was far behind Phil Andrew. Actually, surprised Mike Simmons did so poorly; he barely finished ahead of Andrew also.
A couple of the margins were surprising. The margin of Stratton’s victory was unexpected. I anticipated a very close race. Pretty remarkable as Raja’s run was years in the making.
And while I fully expected Bailey to win, I thought that Dabrowski would have performed slightly better as Darren has absolutely no chance of winning in November. It really shows how far the ILGOP has fallen.
The dominance of the Preckwinkle win surprised me. I always try to factor in that my Cook County political impressions mostly come through the suburban areas. So in that context it seemed that at her age and length of service, in a dynamic environment people might be looking in a new direction. Guess not.
The surprise for me has not been the outcomes, but the margins.
Stratton did not just beat Raja, she crushed him.
I expected Preckwinkle to win, I did not expect Reilly to finish worse than Bob Fioretti did when Bob ran against Toni.
Croke, like Stratton, was backed by Pritzker but is currently holding a much narrower lead than I or anyone else expected.
Given the money spent by Welch, I thought the Andrade/Alvelo-Riviera race would be close, but 55-45 is a blowout.
My takeaway is that voters migrated to the progressive candidate, which would include Senator Villa. And it’s not just more progressives turning out, but “regular Democrats” shifting their attitudes and prioritizing a Spartan Warrior mentality.
“Give me 300 to send into the breach.”
I think explains Drake Warren’s win too. Progressive groups and progressive aldermen signaled that Warren was the more progressive candidate, Reilly got crushed in the 10th district, and voters went with the candidate they thought would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Preckwinkle.
I knew she might win but I was surprised by the margins that Demi won in the 13th. Just goes to show that mailers don’t vote. James O’Brien and Adam Braun buried me in periodicals (largely targeting each other); Demi only showed up occasionally in shorter mailings.
- Oldtimer - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:04 am:
Chatham School District in Sangamon County was able to pass a large building referendum, even with a separate sales tax measure for mental health also on the ballot. Both measures passed about 53-47.
- Someone You Should Know - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:04 am:
ook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer. I Hear she just checked out. I don’t understand it. I know her attendance was not stellar so maybe she was as I said checked out.
- NIU Grad - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:05 am:
Two shockers for me:
-Not necessarily that Stratton won, but decisively enough to be called so early.
-Two Cook County Commissioners losing reelection. Those races seemed to fly under the radar (at least for Bridget Gainer, who seemed to be checked out the last few years).
- Someone you should know - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:06 am:
Wow, Great Minds
- NIU Grad - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:10 am:
She has been barely visible in a community full of neighborhood festivals and events where it’s very easy to show up with a table/tent at the minimum. A non-controversial incumbent could coast for years, but needs to actually make an effort to show up.
On that note, the fact that Feigenholtz won by only 11 points was a “wow.” A sign that our local politicos need to start working more than just when they’re contested in reelection.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:16 am:
I thought the County Board President race would have been closer. The Tyler Technologies contract was a legitimate scandal. I watched the Fox 32 debate between Reilly and Preckwinkle, and Reilly looked like a twerp if you watched the whole thing. Maybe the voters saw that too.
- DriXander - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:19 am:
Donna Miller & Demi Palecek both getting 40%+ in crowded fields.
- Stephenson County - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:22 am:
Stratton’s strength in downstate surprised me.
- Sox Fan - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:34 am:
Maybe it shouldn’t be surprising, but I’d say it’s the bitter post-mortem in the Il-09 congressional race. My takeaway is that Kat lost to a popular politician with years of local experience and name recognition. Going online you would think she lost to a trump adjacent criminal
- low level - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:41 am:
Definitely Bridget Gainer losing her seat. On Election Night i was checking the Chicago Board of Elections site and had to refresh the screen a few times to make sure I wasnt seeing things.
It appears she simply stopped working or tool it for granted.
I know one thing for sure - had Kim Walz been appointed to that seat in 2009 instead of Gainer that never would have happened. Walz was Quigley’s chief of staff but was passed over in favor of Bridget. Wrong choice.
- Amalia - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:44 am:
Bridget Gainer What is going on with her? the attendance issue, going from mayoral candidate to losing so decisively. it’s very strange.
- Malort for All - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:49 am:
Hoan Huynh barely registering any votes. He was far behind Phil Andrew. Actually, surprised Mike Simmons did so poorly; he barely finished ahead of Andrew also.
- @misterjayem - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:49 am:
Tie: The margin of Stratton’s victory and the margin of Jean Kaczmarek’s defeat.
– MrJM
- Steve - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:54 am:
I thought Raja would do better, not sure he would have won : but I thought he would do better.
- Pundent - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:55 am:
A couple of the margins were surprising. The margin of Stratton’s victory was unexpected. I anticipated a very close race. Pretty remarkable as Raja’s run was years in the making.
And while I fully expected Bailey to win, I thought that Dabrowski would have performed slightly better as Darren has absolutely no chance of winning in November. It really shows how far the ILGOP has fallen.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 9:56 am:
Strattons victory a little but the margin was a real surprise.
Hammonds loss was a bit of a welcome surprise. Not that her replacement will be any better.
- Responsa - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 10:00 am:
The dominance of the Preckwinkle win surprised me. I always try to factor in that my Cook County political impressions mostly come through the suburban areas. So in that context it seemed that at her age and length of service, in a dynamic environment people might be looking in a new direction. Guess not.
- Techie - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 10:05 am:
Given where polling was shortly before the election, I am surprised that Stratton won by as large a margin as she did.
However as I said before, I think much of Raja’s early lead in polling was simply name recognition as he was the only one with TV ads for months.
- Google is Your Friend - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 10:09 am:
How quickly the night was over was the only surprise to me.
- Thomas Paine - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 10:10 am:
The surprise for me has not been the outcomes, but the margins.
Stratton did not just beat Raja, she crushed him.
I expected Preckwinkle to win, I did not expect Reilly to finish worse than Bob Fioretti did when Bob ran against Toni.
Croke, like Stratton, was backed by Pritzker but is currently holding a much narrower lead than I or anyone else expected.
Given the money spent by Welch, I thought the Andrade/Alvelo-Riviera race would be close, but 55-45 is a blowout.
My takeaway is that voters migrated to the progressive candidate, which would include Senator Villa. And it’s not just more progressives turning out, but “regular Democrats” shifting their attitudes and prioritizing a Spartan Warrior mentality.
“Give me 300 to send into the breach.”
I think explains Drake Warren’s win too. Progressive groups and progressive aldermen signaled that Warren was the more progressive candidate, Reilly got crushed in the 10th district, and voters went with the candidate they thought would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Preckwinkle.
- Montrose - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 10:16 am:
“it seemed that at her age and length of service, in a dynamic environment people might be looking in a new direction.”
The problem for Brendan was voters had a jump scare when they turned and saw Reilly.
- ZC - Thursday, Mar 19, 26 @ 10:21 am:
I knew she might win but I was surprised by the margins that Demi won in the 13th. Just goes to show that mailers don’t vote. James O’Brien and Adam Braun buried me in periodicals (largely targeting each other); Demi only showed up occasionally in shorter mailings.