Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley has bested a field of 11 other Democrats in a special primary election to fill the seat of former U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who left Congress to be President Barack Obama's chief of staff.
Quigley, who has been a Cook County commissioner since 1998, campaigned as a reformer and fiscal watchdog in the heavily Democratic district that includes Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. His reputation for taking on establishment Democrats in Cook County earned him the endorsements of both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.
"After all we've been through in Illinois in the last six months or so, this is really the first chance the voters have had to say, 'Enough is enough. We're voting for change and reform,'" Quigley told an audience of supporters.
The primary pitted a dozen Democrats against each other, including politicians like Quigley, longtime Chicago Alderman Patrick O'Connor and state Reps. Sara Feigenholtz and John Fritchey.
Republican Rosanna Pulido won in a pack of six GOP candidates. Pulido is director of the Illinois Minuteman Project, part of a national volunteer civilian border patrol group that wants to stem illegal immigration.
The Green Party leader was Mathew Reichel, separated from the next-highest vote getter by only 11 votes.
The 5th Congressional District has 348,678 registered voters in the city of Chicago and Cook County suburbs.
The special general election will be held in April.
U.S. House District 5 Dem - Special Primary
571 of 578 precincts - 99 percent
x-Mike Quigley 11,910 - 22 percent
John Fritchey 9,635 - 18 percent
Sara Feigenholtz 9,031 - 17 percent
Victor Forys 6,267 - 12 percent
Patrick O'Connor 6,190 - 11 percent
Charles Wheelan 3,627 - 7 percent
Tom Geoghegan 3,253 - 6 percent
Paul Bryar 1,088 - 2 percent
Jan Donatelli 876 - 2 percent
Frank Annunzio 743 - 1 percent
Cary Capparelli 699 - 1 percent
Carlos Monteagudo 516 - 1 percent
U.S. House District 5 GOP - Special Primary
571 of 578 precincts - 99 percent
x-Rosanna Pulido 979 - 25 percent
Tom Hanson 844 - 21 percent
David Anderson 705 - 18 percent
Gregory Bedell 661 - 17 percent
Daniel Kay 372 - 9 percent
Jon Stewart 365 - 9 percent
U.S. House District 5 Grn - Special Primary
571 of 578 precincts - 99 percent
Mathew Reichel 165 - 34 percent
Deb Gordils 154 - 32 percent
Mark Fredrickson 69 - 14 percent
Alan Augustson 62 - 13 percent
Simon Ribeiro 36 - 7 percent
