Underwood Declares Victory; Oberweis Seeks Recount: Report

ILLINOIS — Rep. Lauren Underwood (D, IL-14) has declared victory over challenger, state senator and entrepreneur Jim Oberweis in the race for a seat in Illinois's 14th Congressional District. The declaration comes after remaining mail-in votes have been counted, according to Chicago Tribune.

The Associated Press declared Underwood the projected winner last week. At press time, unofficial vote totals reflect Underwood with 203,125 votes and Oberweis with 197,783 votes.

Oberweis, who declared victory immediately following Election Night, reportedly said via a spokesperson that he would like a recount of selected precincts, according Chicago Tribune.

Although the Associated Press called the race for Underwood, Oberweis went to Washington for new member orientation.

Oberweis's campaign acknowledged they are seeking a discovery recount, saying in a statement, "The final vote count to be certified has me down 5,356 votes to Lauren Underwood. With more than more than 400,000 votes cast in the race, the difference between my vote total and her vote total is just over 1 percent or roughly 12 votes per precinct. Illinois election law has provisions to allow parties in a closely contested race to seek a discovery recount and I intend to pursue the legal avenues afforded to me as a candidate for office. In a race this close, we need to be certain the final vote count is correct. A discovery recount does not change a single vote, but it does allow us to see if the outcome might change with a full recount. The robust turnout for the Nov. 3rd Election in the 14th District is a clear indication of the tremendous interest in this race. We owe it to the 400,000 people who voted in this election to do all we can to ensure that the final outcome is the right outcome.”

Underwood said in a statement, "The votes have been counted and the voters have spoken: I'm proud to have earned reelection. This was a historic election: more than 400,000 members of our community cast votes in this race. I want to say thank you to our elections officials for ensuring that every voter was able to safely participate in this election. Our democracy is precious, and it requires participation. I'm grateful to every voter for making their voice heard and am honored to continue representing our community during this critical time."

Andra Belknap, a spokesperson for Underwood's campaign, told Patch Thursday via email, "Mr. Oberweis falsely declared victory with more than 20,000 votes outstanding. Now that he's officially lost, he wants a recount. Regardless of Mr. Oberweis' bluster, the results in this race will remain the same: this community voted in historic numbers to reelect Congresswoman Lauren Underwood."

Underwood earned the District 14 seat in 2018 after defeating then-incumbent Rep. Randy Hultgren (R).

More via Chicago Tribune