Election Results 2016: Howard Cooper Wins Lake County Coroner Race

Incumbent Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd faces Republican Howard Cooper and Democrat Michael Donnenwirth for the post in the 2016 election. Rudd is a write-in candidate. Follow here for vote tallies throughout the night.

10:15 p.m.: Michael P. Donnenwirth (DEM), 69,532, 43.33%; Howard Cooper (REP), 90,924, 56.67% (All 415 precincts reporting). Votes for write-in incumbent Thomas Rudd have not been counted.

8:07 p.m.: More than 133,000 votes have been counted and Cooper leads Donnenwirth, 77,614 to 56,347. That's a 58 percent to 42 percent lead for the Republican.

7:32 p.m.: Republican Howard Cooper has a lead of 1,199 votes to 895 for Michael Donnenwirth. Votes for Thomas Rudd are not counted on the Lake County website. With six of 415 precincts reporting, Cooper has an edge of 57 percent to 43 percent.

Original story, posted Nov. 3, 2016:

LAKE COUNTY, IL - Incumbent Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd faces Republican Howard Cooper and Democrat Michael Donnenwirth in the Nov. 8 election.

Rudd, a Democrat from Lake Forest who was first elected to the post in 2012, is a physician who has practiced in the fields of Pathology and Nuclear Medicine for more than 30 years, his campaign website says.

Cooper, who has a background as a dentist, also worked in the field as a forensic odontologist in death investigations and victim identification, according to his campaign website. He says his main focus will be on death prevention if elected.

Donnenwirth, a former Republican, is a retired Waukegan police officer who worked as a deputy coroner under Rudd. He is in favor of reviving preventive death programs that have been eliminated and add child safety seat instruction as needed, according to a Daily Herald article.

Read More: Coroner Candidate Fired for Selling Beer Outside Genesee Theater

Rudd originally filed to run for re-election as a Democrat, but withdrew his name after a controversy arose regarding his petitions. His request to run as an Independent was denied in court, but the incumbent continues to seek a second term as a write-in candidate. If his candidacy is successful, Rudd will remain as a Democratic officeholder.

Read More: Incumbent Coroner Runs for Re-Election as Write-In Candidate