Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner faced a strong Republican primary challenge from the Right, seven-term Congressman Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., an equally powerful Democratic primary challenge from the Left.
Rauner held on, with nearly 52 percent of the vote to Jeanne Ives’ more than 48 percent. Lipinski, one of the last anti-abortion Democrats in the House of Representatives, is poised to do the same: With 97 percent of precincts reporting, he led progressive nonprofit executive Marie Newman 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent, largely on the strength of his traditional Chicago constituents.
The Democrats initially appeared to have a tough ideological contest for the gubernatorial nomination on their hands, as liberal primary opponents Chris Kennedy, an heir to Camelot, and Daniel Biss flailed away at billionaire J.B. Pritzker’s massive campaign spending. Instead Pritzker ran away with the nomination, winning 45 percent of the vote to Biss’ 26 percent and Kennedy’s 24 percent.
This sets up an Illinois gubernatorial race between two major party nominees who plowed a combined $120 million of their own money into their campaigns so far. This figures to be an expensive general election — but one where the primary results suggest Pritzker has a leg up on Rauner, the incumbent, unless a Chicago Tribune investigation into the Democrat’s offshore holdings
Republicans were quick to condemn interference in the primaries — not from the Russians, but the national Democratic establishment.
“Realizing that J.B. Pritzker is unelectable in a general election and unable to counter Governor Bruce Rauner’s successful reforms, the [Democratic Governors Association] wasted nearly $500,000 of their already limited resources in yet another failed attempt to meddle in a GOP primary,” Jon Thompson, communications director for the Republican Governors Association, said in a statement. “The DGA’s efforts to meddle in GOP primaries failed in 2014, 2016, and now 2018 as it remains abundantly clear that the DGA still hasn’t learned from their electoral mistakes.”
“If the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] fought Republicans half as hard as their own party, I’d be worried for 2018,” Matt Gorman, communications director for the House Republicans’ counterpart, said in a statement concerning the Lipinski versus Newman primary.
“As long as Democrats train their fire on their own, we’ll continue to work to win elections. It’s a lesson that the DCCC apparently has yet to learn,” Gorman added.
DCCC and other party organs initially stayed on the sidelines as liberals worked to unseat a Democratic incumbent who bucked the party on abortion, gay rights, an early version of the DREAM Act, and even Obamacare in a deep-blue district. After Blue Dogs balked, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., endorsed Lipinski and the DCCC tentatively re-engaged on his behalf.
Newman had the support of progressive groups like NARAL Pro-Choice America, EMILY’s List, and Democracy for America. She refused to concede after midnight on Wednesday, telling supporters she wished Lipinski a “very painful evening.” Newman also pledged to hang on until every vote was counted.
Lipinski was more cautious, informing his backers he did not want to speak too soon. “But things are looking really good,” he assured them. Within hours, numerous media outlets called the race for the incumbent
If the result holds, Lipinski is virtually guaranteed to win the November election in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District. Yet he may face a difficult rematch in the Democratic primary in 2020, a presidential election year. His father, William Lipinski, was a Democratic congressman before him, from 1983 to 2005.
