Just three months after the last elections, a group of Chicago-area communities will be holding primary elections this week.
While the 2024 general election focused on the presidency, along with other national, state and county-wide races, these elections are focused at the local level, deciding leadership for communities around the state.
Primary voting will conclude on Tuesday, setting the stage for the consolidated elections on Tuesday, April 1.
A batch of those races will take place in the Chicago area, with several high-profile primary races on deck for Tuesday.
Cook County Races to Watch
One of the most highly anticipated races to watch on Tuesday will be the Democratic primary for mayor in suburban Dolton, where incumbent Mayor Tiffany Henyard is facing off against Trustee Jason House.
Henyard has been embroiled in controversy throughout her term in office, and while she will not be on the ballot to retain her post as Thornton Township supervisor, she is seeking to win a second term in office as Dolton’s mayor.
Local
In addition to the mayoral race there, there will also be a huge primary for village trustee, as seven Democrats will be running for three slots on the ballot in the consolidated election.
In addition to the Dolton races, Lynwood and Cicero will be holding Democratic primaries for their village presidencies. Cicero will host a primary for township president, while Berwyn and Calumet City will each have mayoral primaries on Tuesday.
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You can follow election results here.
Aurora
The city of Aurora will host a mayoral primary on Tuesday, with voters in Kane, DuPage and Will counties casting their ballots.
Incumbent Mayor Richard Irvin is seeking a third term in office, and he will face four challengers as part of a race to determine the top two candidates for the April consolidated election.
Aurora Township residents will also vote in Democratic Party primaries for clerk, highway commissioner and trustee.
If you’re a Will County resident, you can visit this link for election results, while Kane County residents can visit this link. DuPage County voters can visit this website for results.
Other Races of Note
Waukegan, Illinois’ 10th-largest city, will hold Democratic primaries for its mayoral job, along with a Democratic primary for treasurer.
Miguel Rivera Sr. will run against Sam Cunningham in the Democratic primary, with the winner advancing to a four-way race in the consolidated election on April 1.
In Kankakee County, the Bourbonnais Citizen Party will hold a primary on Tuesday that will pit incumbent Mayor Paul Schore against Trustee Jeff Keast.
Schore is running for a fifth term as Bourbonnais mayor, but he will face another challenge from Keast. According to the Daily Journal, Keast previously was defeated by Schore in the consolidated elections in 2013 and 2017, but this time, Keast is a member of the Citizen Party.
The winner of the primary will face Bourbonnais Township Park District President Dave Zinnani in the election on April 1.
Here are links to follow election results for each of the counties in our area that will be holding primaries on Tuesday:
