By Nolan D. McCaskill
WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) – Voters in Illinois on Tuesday chose Democratic and Republican candidates for November’s midterm elections that will determine control of the U.S. Congress for the next two years.
Dozens of Democrats campaigned to fill safe seats vacated by incumbents who are either retiring or seeking higher office, and political fundraising groups with ties to a pro-Israel organization spent millions of dollars in advertising across multiple districts to influence voters.
Here are five key races:
STATE REPRESENTATIVE WITHSTANDS CRYPTO, AIPAC CASH
State Representative La Shawn Ford won the Democratic nomination for Illinois’ 7th congressional district, U.S. media projected.
Ford, who was the target of a cryptocurrency super PAC, decried the level of outspending in the primary. United Democracy Project, a pro-Israel super PAC, spent more than $3 million to boost Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who was projected to finish second.
The district has had a Black representative since 1973. More than 40% of the district’s residents are Black.
The seat opened with the retirement of Representative Danny Davis, 84, who endorsed Ford.
Ford will likely be elected to Congress in November. The Chicago-area seat is safely Democratic.
EVANSTON MAYOR BEATS PROGRESSIVE INFLUENCER
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won the Democratic nomination in Illinois’ 9th congressional district, U.S. media projected.
Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old progressive influencer, was the race’s top fundraiser, followed by Biss and state Senator Laura Fine.
Fine was the beneficiary of more than $6 million in ad spending – far more than any other candidate. Elect Chicago Women, a super PAC with ties to AIPAC, spent the bulk of that sum. Fine trailed Biss and Abughazaleh when the race was called.
The seat is represented by outgoing Representative Jan Schakowsky, 81, who announced her retirement amid a primary challenge from Abughazaleh.
The seat is safely Democratic. Biss will likely be elected to Congress in November.
FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE MELISSA BEAN COMPLETES COMEBACK
Former U.S. Representative Melissa Bean won the Democratic primary for her old congressional seat in Illinois’ 8th district, U.S. media projected.
Bean, a conservative-leaning Democrat, or “Blue Dog,” represented the district from 2005 to 2011. She lost her 2010 reelection to then-Republican Joe Walsh by fewer than 300 votes. The district was redrawn after the 2010 census and has been held by Democrats since 2013.
Bean defeated progressive tech entrepreneur Junaid Ahmed. Elect Chicago Women, a super PAC with ties to AIPAC, spent $4 million in ads to help elect Bean.
The seat opened when Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate.
The seat is safely Democratic, meaning Bean is likely to be elected to Congress in November.
JESSE JACKSON JR. COMEBACK FALLS SHORT
Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller won the Democratic nomination in the Chicago-area 2nd congressional district, U.S. media projected.
Miller defeated former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., who represented the district from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. Jackson, the son of the late civil rights icon, pleaded guilty in 2013 to federal charges related to his misuse of $750,000 in campaign funds. Jackson’s brother, Jonathan, is a current member of Congress.
The seat opened when Representative Robin Kelly, a Democrat, launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate.
Miller is likely to be elected to Congress in November, as the district is safely Democratic.
LATINAS VIE FOR MAJORITY-HISPANIC DISTRICT
Patty Garcia easily secured the Democratic nomination for Congress in Illinois’ 4th district, a seat currently represented by retiring U.S. Representative Chuy Garcia.
Patty Garcia, who is not related to the congressman but serves as his chief of staff, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary after her boss waited until after the state’s filing deadline to announce he wouldn’t seek reelection, leaving his top aide as the only Democratic candidate on the ballot.
The House last year formally disapproved of Chuy Garcia’s actions to clear a path for his chief of staff to succeed him without giving voters a choice in a primary, with 23 Democrats joining Republicans in the rebuke.
The majority-Hispanic Chicago-area district is safely Democratic, but Patty Garcia’s election in November is no sure thing. She will face Republican nominee Lupe Castillo and Mayra Macias, a Democrat who launched an independent campaign in December. Macias narrowly outraised Garcia last year despite joining the race a month later.
(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; editing by Scott Malone, Rosalba O’Brien, Stephen Coates and Kevin Buckland)
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