Democrats win big in Illinois
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Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Video: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
High voter turnout in Chicago helped Vice President Harris and state Democrats sweep most races in Illinois' 2024 election.
Why it matters: From congressional seats to the Statehouse, Democrats are in full control of the state of Illinois, even though Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate and presidency.
- Fourteen Democratic incumbents appear likely to return to the U.S. House, and Democrats look to have retained their supermajority in the Illinois House.
Driving the news: Harris, who was predicted to win the state, did so with 53% of the vote.
- She lost the electoral college though, with former President Trump becoming the 47th U.S. president.
Zoom in: Chicago boasted more than 872,000 total ballots cast, according to the Board of Elections early Wednesday numbers.
By the numbers: Millennials stole the show in Chicago, as 25- to 34-year-old voters cast the most ballots with over 200,000.
- Also, female voters outpaced male voters.
What they're saying: "I think we're stable in the state of Illinois," Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul tells Axios.
- "Some people mistake a supermajority as something that means that you've got to go all the way to the extremes on all of the issues. And that's not our reality."
The other side: "We are very optimistic for our future," Chicago Republican Party treasurer Evan Kasal tells Axios. "Right now, the city votes about 17% Republican. If we can get that up to 20%-30%, we can win statewide races like governor."
Between the lines: The biggest winner may be Gov. JB Pritzker.
- Pritzker, who is rumored to have presidential aspirations, not only produced the big coming-out party for Harris at the DNC but now delivered a big Democratic victory in his state.
Here's how Illinois fared:
Congress
Democrats had 14 of 17 of the state's congressional delegation coming into the 2024 election, and they will likely return those 14 representatives.
- All but one race — the 13th District between Democratic incumbent Nikki Budzinski and Republican Joshua Loyd — had been called as of 6am Wednesday.
Rep. Eric Sorenson (17th) was considered the most vulnerable, but he held off a fierce challenge from former judge Joe McGraw.
Rep. Sean Casten (6th) squeaked by his Republican challenger Niki Conforti in the Southwest suburban district, which could mean trouble for Democrats who redistricted the congressional map to favor their party in 2021.
- Republican Reps. Mike Bost, Mary Miller and Darin LaHood all will return to D.C.
Statehouse
Democrats already had a huge advantage in Illinois going into Tuesday's election. They hold 78 of the 118 House seats and have the majority of seats in the state Senate too.
- They had hoped to pick up more, but races in several swing districts are currently favoring Republicans.
Cook County state's attorney
In Cook County, Democrats retained the Cook County state's attorney's office.
- Democrat Eileen O'Neill Burke easily defeated Republican Bob Fioretti.
The bottom line: Illinois Democrats' grip on state power just got tighter.