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For
the first time in nearly a quarter century, Illinois will have a
new secretary of state. Jesse White, who has held office since
the 1990s, chose not to run for reelection. Democrat Alexi
Giannoulias defeated Republican Dan Brady and Libertarian Jon
Stewart.
Giannoulias said he wants to change the way Illinoisans view
their state government.
“Trust in government in Illinois has been undermined by what we
call the corruption tax, a tax that we will repeal and prove to
you once again that this government works for you,” Giannoulias
said, referring to federal investigations that have led to
corruption charges against longtime former House Speaker Michael
Madigan and many other elected officials.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul held off a challenge from
Republican attorney Thomas DeVore to win reelection. DeVore took
Gov. J.B. Pritzker to court multiple times for his mask and
other COVID-19 mandates, winning many of the cases, but fell
short in the election.
“My initial election was my dad’s, and my mom, who hadn’t
traveled for years, was here four years ago and she passed away
months later,” Raoul said. “This is for mom.”
In the race for state treasurer, Democrat incumbent Michael
Frerichs defeated Republican challenger Tom Demmer.
“This campaign was the experience of a lifetime, and I am so
grateful for your support along the way. And while today our
campaign has come up short, our movement has just begun,” Demmer
said in a statement.
In the race for Illinois Comptroller, Democratic incumbent
Susanna Mendoza easily defeated challenger Shannon Teresi.
Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in
Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of
experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest.
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