Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz Narrowly Wins 17th District Nomination

GLENVIEW, IL — Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz pulled off a narrow victory in a fiercly contested race for state representative in the 17th District. She managed to fend off four opponents seeking to replace Rep. Laura Fine as she looks to move up to the state senate. With the endorsement of unions and party leadership – and hundreds of thousands of dollars in last minute contributions – Gong-Gershowitz captured more than a third of votes cast but edged Evanston school board member Candance Chow by fewer than 600 votes, according to unofficial results.

Tuesday's results in the district, which includes all or parts of Glenview, Wilmette, Skokie, Evanston and Northbrook, suggest that the Democratic Party's financial support for Gong-Gershowitz was likely decisive in the progressive-leaning corner of the North Shore that prizes itself on its political engagement and independence.

» Who's Backing Who In The 17th District State Rep Race?

RESULTS

• Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz – 36.5% (7,620) – Projected winner
• Candance Chow – 33.7% (7,023)
• Mary Rita Luecke – 16.5% (3,471)
• Alexandra Eidenberg – 8.4% (1,751)
• Pete Dagher – 4.7% (984)

(All precincts reporting)

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Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, a Glenview attorney who has volunteered to provide legal aid to immigrants, received support from the Democratic Party leadership, unions and many elected officials – including Fine herself.

Candance Chow, an Evanston/Skokie District 65 board member was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune and notable Evanston leaders.

Mary Rita Luecke, the former District 65 board president, had the endorsement of the Chicago Sun-Times, The Illinois Education Association and progressive groups like Reclaim Chicago.

Alexandra Eidenberg, the founder of a health insurance company, was backed by the National Organization for Women, VoteProChoice and many state lawmakers with whom she has worked in Springfield.

Pete Dagher, a longtime political operative and former deputy political director of the Democratic National Committee, called for the arrest and prosecution of state and county Democratic leaders.

» MORE: Illinois Primary Election 2018 Races

The race has featured controversy over campaign mailers backing both Gong-Gershowitz and Chow.

With support from Illinois Democratic Party leadership, Gong-Gershowitz's campaign distributed mailers linking Chow to President Donald Trump and Gov. Bruce Rauner. That led one local newspaper to call on voters to select anyone else, calling the ads "beyond the pale."

Chow has drawn criticism for advertisement featuring the logos of the Illinois Education Assocation and the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Those groups have endorsed Luecke and Gong-Gershowitz, respectively.

Gong-Gershowitz will face Wilmette attorney Peter Lee, who is running unopposed on the Republican side, in the general election in November.

» Madigan's Shadow Looms Over North Shore State Rep Race