Dan Didech Defeats Karen Feldman For 59th District State Rep Seat

LAKE COUNTY, IL — In one of the fiercest contests for a seat in the Illinois House, Buffalo Grove Democrat Daniel Didech, 30, a municipal attorney, first-term Vernon Township supervisor and the former assistant counsel to Senate President John Cullerton, defeated Lincolnshire Republican Karen Feldman, 49, a Winnetka-based residential realtor and Lincolnshire village trustee since 2009 in the race to represent Lake County's "Y"- shaped 59th District, which snakes through more than 20 towns from Wheeling to Gurnee and out to Mundelein. With all precincts reporting, Didech led by 61 percent to 39 percent and a margin of more than 7,800 votes.

Both candidates were seeking to replace outgoing Democratic state Rep. Carol Sente, who decided to retire after four terms. In 2016, Sente won the district by more than 9,000 votes, 61 percent to 39 percent. The district includes all of parts of Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Mettawa, Mundelein, Park City, Riverwoods, Vernon Hills, Waukegan and Wheeling.

Both elected officials emerged with about 60 percent of the vote from contested party primaries. In their hotly contested general election, they have sparred over handling of workplace harassment, Feldman's position on abortion rights and assault weapons and Didech's creation of a new $63,000-a-year position at the township.

Campaign finance committees for the two candidates have each received more than $300,000 since the end of September. Didech's biggest campaign contributors have been Democratic Party of Illinois and Speaker Mike Madigan's Democratic Majority PAC, and his opponents pointed to more than $440,000 in funding from Madigan's committees. The biggest donors to Feldman's campaign have been the House Republican Organization, which provided nearly $400,000, and more than $177,000 from the Illinois Republican Party.

Didech has been endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Herald, which wrote both candidates have blanketed the district with ads that "go beyond stretching the truth, which diminishes their standing in our eyes." Feldman was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune, which asked "How low would Didech go to win?".

Election results

Return to Patch Tuesday night for the latest vote tally. Subscribe to free News Alerts for election results. The polls open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m. NOTE: Tuesday's results are unofficial and do not include provisional and late absentee ballots.

More About Didech and Feldman

Read more about these candidates from their campaign websites:

• Daniel Didech
• Karen Feldman

More Illinois voting info: Everything To Know About The Illinois 2018 Midterm Elections