It was a Democratic sweep in the voting for statewide offices Tuesday.
For the first time in nearly a quarter century, Illinois will have a new secretary of state. Jesse White, who has held office since the 1990s, chose not to run for reelection. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias defeated Republican Dan Brady and Libertarian Jon Stewart.
Giannoulias said he wants to change the way Illinoisans view their state government.
“Trust in government in Illinois has been undermined by what we call the corruption tax, a tax that we will repeal and prove to you once again that this government works for you,” Giannoulias said, referring to federal investigations that have led to corruption charges against longtime former House Speaker Michael Madigan and many other elected officials.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul held off a challenge from Republican attorney Thomas DeVore to win reelection. DeVore took Gov. J.B. Pritzker to court multiple times for his mask and other COVID-19 mandates, winning many of the cases, but fell short in the election.
“My initial election was my dad’s, and my mom, who hadn’t traveled for years, was here four years ago and she passed away months later,” Raoul said. “This is for mom.”
In the race for state treasurer, Democrat incumbent Michael Frerichs defeated Republican challenger Tom Demmer.
“This campaign was the experience of a lifetime, and I am so grateful for your support along the way. And while today our campaign has come up short, our movement has just begun,” Demmer said in a statement.
In the race for Illinois Comptroller, Democratic incumbent Susanna Mendoza easily defeated challenger Shannon Teresi.
***Courtesy of the Illinois Radio Network***
