IFCA's 2022 General Election Recap
IFCA knows most people didn’t stay up late to watch all of the election results from Illinois last night. Here is IFCA’s recap of what happened on the federal and state level in Illinois.
Governor
Gov. JB Pritzker has won a second term as Illinois governor, defeating Republican Darren Bailey. The Associated Press called the race for Pritzker about nine minutes after polls closed. The governor appears to have won by margins akin to those he beat Bruce Rauner in 2018 -- double digits.
The win capped a race characterized by constant acrimony and outsized spending. Pritzker first won political office in 2018 when he took the governor's seat. With around 95% of precincts reporting, Pritzker led Bailey by around 430,000 votes, 54%-43%. Pritzker is close to matching his 54.5% share of the vote in 2018 and will only be the second winner since Illinois gubernatorial races moved to presidential midterm years to garner over two million votes. (He has 2,070,981, compared to around 2.5 million in 2018.)
Other Statewide Races – Democrats Clean Sweep
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul declared victory in his race against conservative attorney Thomas DeVore. Raoul was first elected to the office in 2018, receiving 54.7% of the vote. His political career, which began with an unsuccessful run for Chicago alderman in 1995, has spanned nearly three decades
Former Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has won statewide office for the second time, defeating Republican Rep. Dan Brady in a hotly contested race to become the new secretary of state.
Susana Mendoza succeeded Tuesday in her bid for a second full term as Illinois comptroller, fending off challengers Shannon Teresi and Deirdre McCloskey.
Michael Frerichs has secured a third term as Illinois treasurer. Frerichs, defeating challengers Tom Demmer. With 94% of precincts reporting, Frerichs led with 54% of the vote to Demmer’s 43.8%.
US Senate:
Democrat Tammy Duckworth has won reelection to the U.S. Senate from Illinois against political newcomer and lawyer Kathy Salvi. Duckworth led with 57% of the vote compared to 42% for Salvi and less than 2% for Libertarian candidate Bill Redpath.
The control of the U.S. Senate is still up in the air. As of this morning, both the Democrats and Republicans each held 48 seats, with four seats still too close to call. Those four senate seats are Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin.
US House:
As of this morning the Republicans have won 207 seats and the Democrats have won 188 seats, with forty seats too close to call. 218 is the magic number to take control of the house. Republicans are still in line for a majority because they gained many of the seats they were supposed to capture, and they are also well-positioned to win some toss-up races as well as seats in which they were underdogs.
Here are a few key races in the U.S. House pertaining to the ag input industry. In the IL Congressional District 12 race, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost is projected to hold onto his seat in the race against Democratic challenger Chip Markel. In the IL Congressional District 13 race Democrat Nikki Brudzinski is currently beating Republican Regan Deering. In the IL Congressional District 15 race, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Miller is projected to defend her seat against Democratic challenger Paul Lange. In the IL Congressional District 16 race, incumbent Darin LaHood has beaten Democrat Elizbeth Haderlein. In a very tight race, Democrat Eric Sorensen won the 17th Congressional race against Republican Esther Joy King by a 51.7% to 48.3% margin.
Illinois Senate:
The Republicans did pick up two seats in the Illinois Senate.
Senate Ag Committee Chairman Patrick Joyce is defeating Republican Philip Nagel by nine points after running Chicago broadcast TV ads distancing himself from the SAFE-T Act.
Democratic state Sen. Doris Turner claimed victory in the heated 48th Senate District race against Republican state Rep. Sandy Hamilton. This was one of the most expensive Senate races in the state. The Senate Republicans put forth time and effort to win this seat but came up short. Turner has around 51% of the vote to Hamilton's 49%, with most the ballots counted in Christian, Macon, and Sangamon counties.
Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie is currently leading over his Democratic rival Maria Peterson by less than 2,000 votes. Peterson worked that district hard but looks to have come up short.
The Senate Democrats will lose at least one member (possibly two). Appointed Sen. Kris Tharp appears to have lost to Republican Erica Conway Harris. And embattled Sen. Michael Hastings trailed Republican Patrick Sheehan by sixty-eight votes early this morning, with more votes yet to be counted. Mail-in and early votes tend to lean strongly Democratic these days, so Sen. Hastings may yet pull out a win.
Illinois House:
If you had predicted yesterday morning that the House Democrats would be poised to pick up five seats and lose an East St. Louis-based district, people would have called you crazy, but that is exactly what happened. Rep. LaToya Greenwood from East St. Louis was the only net loss for the House Democrats last night.
Assistant House Republican Leader Keith Wheeler conceded to Democrat Matt Hanson last night after posting a 7-point loss.
If everything holds true in all races that are currently uncalled, the house Democrats will be at 77 seats out of 118. That is five seats more than the seventy-two seats required to be in the super majority. Most seats that the Republicans lost were in the seven collar counties.
Constitutional Amendment – Workers Right Amendment
Illinois voters decided issues in referendums on Election Day. They voted in favor of amending the Illinois constitution, to guarantee workers' rights to bargain collectively.
With 85% of precincts reporting, the Worker's Rights Amendment had more than 1.9 million votes in favor, compared to 1.4 million voting no (58.7% to 41.3%). Unions in the state are claiming victory.
Business groups and conservatives opposed the measure, saying it will drive up taxes, give unions too much power, lead to more strikes and prompt companies to leave for more industry-friendly states.
This race is still too close to call because the constitutional amendment needs 60 percent to pass rather than a simple majority.
IFCA’s Thoughts After the Elections
Illinois Democrats last night flexed their muscles and showed that they still are the controlling party in the State of Illinois. They swept all constitutional officers and picked up seats in the Illinois House. In a continued trend from the last few elections, Republicans keep losing suburban districts which used to be a stronghold for them 20 years ago.
Going into 2023, IFCA members must be pro-active more than ever and our voices heard to tell our story to new legislators that will be drafting new legislation and regulations in our state. We know it will be an uphill battle to stop new legislation in Illinois, but this is where we will ask our membership to be more engaged than ever.
As always, if you have any questions regarding the election or legislation on the federal or state level, please don’t hesitate to call or email KJ Johnson at the IFCA office at KJ@IFCA.COM or 217-369-1669.
Governor
Gov. JB Pritzker has won a second term as Illinois governor, defeating Republican Darren Bailey. The Associated Press called the race for Pritzker about nine minutes after polls closed. The governor appears to have won by margins akin to those he beat Bruce Rauner in 2018 -- double digits.
The win capped a race characterized by constant acrimony and outsized spending. Pritzker first won political office in 2018 when he took the governor's seat. With around 95% of precincts reporting, Pritzker led Bailey by around 430,000 votes, 54%-43%. Pritzker is close to matching his 54.5% share of the vote in 2018 and will only be the second winner since Illinois gubernatorial races moved to presidential midterm years to garner over two million votes. (He has 2,070,981, compared to around 2.5 million in 2018.)
Other Statewide Races – Democrats Clean Sweep
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul declared victory in his race against conservative attorney Thomas DeVore. Raoul was first elected to the office in 2018, receiving 54.7% of the vote. His political career, which began with an unsuccessful run for Chicago alderman in 1995, has spanned nearly three decades
Former Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has won statewide office for the second time, defeating Republican Rep. Dan Brady in a hotly contested race to become the new secretary of state.
Susana Mendoza succeeded Tuesday in her bid for a second full term as Illinois comptroller, fending off challengers Shannon Teresi and Deirdre McCloskey.
Michael Frerichs has secured a third term as Illinois treasurer. Frerichs, defeating challengers Tom Demmer. With 94% of precincts reporting, Frerichs led with 54% of the vote to Demmer’s 43.8%.
US Senate:
Democrat Tammy Duckworth has won reelection to the U.S. Senate from Illinois against political newcomer and lawyer Kathy Salvi. Duckworth led with 57% of the vote compared to 42% for Salvi and less than 2% for Libertarian candidate Bill Redpath.
The control of the U.S. Senate is still up in the air. As of this morning, both the Democrats and Republicans each held 48 seats, with four seats still too close to call. Those four senate seats are Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin.
US House:
As of this morning the Republicans have won 207 seats and the Democrats have won 188 seats, with forty seats too close to call. 218 is the magic number to take control of the house. Republicans are still in line for a majority because they gained many of the seats they were supposed to capture, and they are also well-positioned to win some toss-up races as well as seats in which they were underdogs.
Here are a few key races in the U.S. House pertaining to the ag input industry. In the IL Congressional District 12 race, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost is projected to hold onto his seat in the race against Democratic challenger Chip Markel. In the IL Congressional District 13 race Democrat Nikki Brudzinski is currently beating Republican Regan Deering. In the IL Congressional District 15 race, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Miller is projected to defend her seat against Democratic challenger Paul Lange. In the IL Congressional District 16 race, incumbent Darin LaHood has beaten Democrat Elizbeth Haderlein. In a very tight race, Democrat Eric Sorensen won the 17th Congressional race against Republican Esther Joy King by a 51.7% to 48.3% margin.
Illinois Senate:
The Republicans did pick up two seats in the Illinois Senate.
Senate Ag Committee Chairman Patrick Joyce is defeating Republican Philip Nagel by nine points after running Chicago broadcast TV ads distancing himself from the SAFE-T Act.
Democratic state Sen. Doris Turner claimed victory in the heated 48th Senate District race against Republican state Rep. Sandy Hamilton. This was one of the most expensive Senate races in the state. The Senate Republicans put forth time and effort to win this seat but came up short. Turner has around 51% of the vote to Hamilton's 49%, with most the ballots counted in Christian, Macon, and Sangamon counties.
Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie is currently leading over his Democratic rival Maria Peterson by less than 2,000 votes. Peterson worked that district hard but looks to have come up short.
The Senate Democrats will lose at least one member (possibly two). Appointed Sen. Kris Tharp appears to have lost to Republican Erica Conway Harris. And embattled Sen. Michael Hastings trailed Republican Patrick Sheehan by sixty-eight votes early this morning, with more votes yet to be counted. Mail-in and early votes tend to lean strongly Democratic these days, so Sen. Hastings may yet pull out a win.
Illinois House:
If you had predicted yesterday morning that the House Democrats would be poised to pick up five seats and lose an East St. Louis-based district, people would have called you crazy, but that is exactly what happened. Rep. LaToya Greenwood from East St. Louis was the only net loss for the House Democrats last night.
Assistant House Republican Leader Keith Wheeler conceded to Democrat Matt Hanson last night after posting a 7-point loss.
If everything holds true in all races that are currently uncalled, the house Democrats will be at 77 seats out of 118. That is five seats more than the seventy-two seats required to be in the super majority. Most seats that the Republicans lost were in the seven collar counties.
Constitutional Amendment – Workers Right Amendment
Illinois voters decided issues in referendums on Election Day. They voted in favor of amending the Illinois constitution, to guarantee workers' rights to bargain collectively.
With 85% of precincts reporting, the Worker's Rights Amendment had more than 1.9 million votes in favor, compared to 1.4 million voting no (58.7% to 41.3%). Unions in the state are claiming victory.
Business groups and conservatives opposed the measure, saying it will drive up taxes, give unions too much power, lead to more strikes and prompt companies to leave for more industry-friendly states.
This race is still too close to call because the constitutional amendment needs 60 percent to pass rather than a simple majority.
IFCA’s Thoughts After the Elections
Illinois Democrats last night flexed their muscles and showed that they still are the controlling party in the State of Illinois. They swept all constitutional officers and picked up seats in the Illinois House. In a continued trend from the last few elections, Republicans keep losing suburban districts which used to be a stronghold for them 20 years ago.
Going into 2023, IFCA members must be pro-active more than ever and our voices heard to tell our story to new legislators that will be drafting new legislation and regulations in our state. We know it will be an uphill battle to stop new legislation in Illinois, but this is where we will ask our membership to be more engaged than ever.
As always, if you have any questions regarding the election or legislation on the federal or state level, please don’t hesitate to call or email KJ Johnson at the IFCA office at KJ@IFCA.COM or 217-369-1669.