Prime-Ary Perspective: Illinois Governor
PRIME-ARY PERSPECTIVE: ILLINOIS
Illinois is the second state to hold its primary elections. We've selected the most competitive congressional districts for coverage, as well as the Governor's primary and IL-4, where Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez is stepping down to focus on Puerto Rico aid efforts.
PRIME-ARY Perspectives is a new series that will give you an overview of the most noteworthy results from each state's primary election, focusing on congressional districts that are likely to be most competitive in November, as well as those that will have new representation in 2019 because of retirements.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with questions! GOVERNOR
The Illinois governor's race is set to be competitive from the start. Incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner's (R) approval/disapproval rates place him in the bottom 10 among all governors, according to a January Morning Consult survey. Rauner is a first-term governor, who defeated incumbent Pat Quinn 50.8-45.9 in 2014. He is the first Republican to hold the seat since Gov. George Ryan, a single term governor who served 1999-2003.
Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) Gov. Brauner narrowly avoided an embarrassing primary defeat, fending off state representative Jeanne Ives 51.5- 48.5. Ives questioned his conservative values, especially on social issues, but came up just short.
J.B. Pritzker (D) Billionaire businessman Pritzker put $70 million of his own money into the race, and it paid off. Pritzker won the nomination with 45.4% of the vote. His closest challenger was state senator Daniel Biss, who finished with 26.5%.
IL-04
Luis Gutierrez (D) is stepping down from the role having served in Congress since 1993. IL-04 is comprised of part of Cook County. The House seat appears to be a lock for whoever wins the Democratic primary - Gutierrez ran unopposed in 2016, and defeated the Republican candidate Hector Concepcion 78.1-21.9 in 2014.
Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D) The Cook County Commissioner fended off Sol Flores 66.4-21.6. Garcia was the clear favorite entering the primary, owing to Gutierrez's endorsement during the former representative's retirement speech.
IL-06
IL-06 has been held by Peter Roskam since 2007. However, the district, which lies in the far western suburbs of Chicago, went for Clinton in the presidential election of 2016 50-43. It remains to be seen whether this will affect results in the general election, as the seat has belonged to a Republican member since 1973. Roskam did not face a primary challenger. TENTATIVE: Kelly Mazeski (D) Kelly Mazeski currently holds a slim lead for the Democratic candidacy. With 549 out of 640 precincts reporting, she has 13,418 votes to Sean Casten's 13,158. Mazeski is a scientist backed by EMILY's List and IL Democratic representatives Cheri Bustos and Jan Schakowsky.
IL-12
IL-12 covers the western side of the southernmost tip of the state, including eastern St. Louis and suburbs. Rep. Mike Bost (R) has held the seat since 2015 after defeating Bill Enyert (D) in the 2014 election cycle. In 2016, Trump won the district 55-40, but in both the previous two presidential elections, the district went to Obama 50- 48 in 2012 and 55-44 in 2008. Bost beat his primary opponent convincingly.
Brendan Kelly (D) Kelly is the St. Clair County State's Attorney, and defeated his top challenger David Bequette handily, 80.9-19.1. Cook Political Report has rated Kelly matching up against Bost a toss-up. The district had previously been rated as leaning Republican.
IL-13
Rodney Davis' district runs northeast from northeastern St. Louis suburbs to the center of the state including Decatur and Bloomington. The district went 50-44 to Trump in 2016, and 48.9-48.6 to Romney in 2012. Davis ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan (D) Betsy Dirksen Londrigan easily separated from a crowded field, earning 45.7% of the vote. Londrigan worked as a fundraiser, and previously worked for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). IL-14
Randy Hultgren's seat, which covers the outskirts of Chicago, wasn't considered to be in play for Democrats until the last presidential election. While Romney carried the district 54-44 in 2012, 2016 saw a significant reaction to Trump, closing the gap 49-45. Hultgren ran unopposed.
Lauren Underwood (D) Underwood easily won in a crowded field, earning 57.3% of the vote. Underwood is a nurse, and has previously worked at the Department of Health and Human Services as a senior adviser during the Obama administration.
Prepared by Jacob Beaver and Casie Daugherty
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