Wednesday 12:30 am Update
Due to a delay in counting the votes in Champaign County, the Associated Press has NOT declared a winner in the race for Illinois’ 13th congressional district.
Democratic incumbent Nikki Budzinski is currently leading Republican challenger Joshua Loyd 53 to 47 percent.
Speaking in Springfield just before midnight, Budzinski says she wants to make sure all the votes are accounted for before declaring victory.
“We have also seen consistently that I have been improving upon the numbers that I had in 2022. We won a county like Macon County, which I hadn’t previously won in the last in my first election. So everything is trending really positive, but we do want to make sure that all the votes are tabulated,” said Budzinski.
Loyd is a 27-year-old West Point graduate from Virden. The 13th congressional district runs from the Metro East through Springfield, Decatur and Champaign-Urbana.
Tuesday 11:15 pm Update
CHAMPAIGN – Shortly before 11 p.m., Deputy Clerk Angie Patton told IPM News that the last voter had just cast their ballot at a fitness center on the University of Illinois campus, and the office would begin processing and publishing results soon.
The delay comes after a technical issue brought voting to a halt in Champaign County earlier this morning. Because of that, County Clerk Aaron Ammons initially said he would try to get a judge to keep the polls open for two additional hours. But by the afternoon, he and the state’s attorney had withdrawn that request. As IPM’s Arjun Thakkar reports, the county clerk said the turnaround was on account of a disagreement with the Champaign County Republican Party.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have taken the Senate majority for the first time in four years. The unexpected battleground of Nebraska pushed Republicans over the top late Tuesday. Sen. Deb Fischer brushed back a challenge from independent newcomer Dan Osborn. That came after Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas defeated Democrat Colin Allred. Democratic efforts to salvage their Senate majority slipped further out of reach with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio lost his reelection to Republican Bernie Moreno. Early on, Republicans picked up the seat in West Virginia. House races are in a state-by-state slog. The control of Congress is at stake this first presidential election after the Jan. 6 2021 Capitol attack.
Tuesday 10:15 pm Update
Tuesday 9:15 pm Update
Tuesday 8:20 pm Update
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Mike Bost won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Illinois on Tuesday. Bost, a former Illinois state legislator, won a sixth term. He survived a spirited primary in March with a challenge from former state Sen. Darren Bailey, the 2022 GOP nominee for Illinois governor. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Bost over Bailey. The sprawling Republican district encompasses nearly the bottom one-third of Illinois. The Associated Press declared Bost the winner at 8:19 p.m. CST.
Tuesday 8:15 pm Update
Tuesday 8:02 pm Update
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Robin Kelly won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Illinois on Tuesday. Kelly, who has ben in office for over a decade, has been a vocal supporter of gun reforms and community policing. She first won the district in 2013 in a special election to replace then-U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who later pleaded guilty to misspending campaign funds. The strongly Democratic Chicago-area district includes neighborhoods on the city’s South Side, suburbs and other communities along the border Illinois shares with Indiana. The Associated Press declared Kelly the winner at 7:59 p.m. CST
Tuesday 7:43 pm Update
Vice President Kamala Harris won Illinois on Tuesday, claiming the state’s 19 electoral votes for Democrats. The reliably blue state, the home of former President Barack Obama, has supported Democratic presidential candidates since 1992. The Associated Press declared Harris the winner at 7:38 p.m. CST.
Tuesday 7:15 pm Update
Tuesday 7:13 pm Update
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Darin LaHood won election to a U.S. House seat representing Illinois on Tuesday. He ran unopposed both in the primary and general election. He was first elected to Congress in a special election in 2015 to replace disgraced former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock. LaHood is a former state legislator and the son of Ray LaHood, a former U.S. Transportation Secretary and Illinois congressman. The district stretches along the border Illinois shares with Wisconsin and cuts into north-central Illinois. The Associated Press declared LaHood the winner.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Mary Miller won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Illinois on Tuesday. She ran unopposed. First elected in 2020, Miller filled the seat left vacant by Republican John Shimkus’ retirement. Two years later, with an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, she ousted Republican Rep. Rodney Davis in the redrawn 15th District. Miller has been no stranger to controversy. She quoted Adolf Hitler outside the U.S. Capitol shortly after winning her seat. She’s a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. The sprawling district includes much of central Illinois. The Associated Press declared Miller the winner.