800,000 votes: Democrat wins Illinois comptroller race in blowout

Margaret Croke held a lead of 800,000 votes with 90 percent of the count in as the Associated Press called the Illinois comptroller race late Tuesday night. The Chicago state representative defeated Bryan Drew, a southern Illinois attorney, to become the state's first new comptroller in a decade. The Associated Press called the race at approximately 11 p.m. Croke will replace Susana Mendoza, who has held the office since late 2016 and is now running for mayor of Chicago.

The comptroller race was the headline of a night in which Democrats swept all statewide offices. They also expanded their supermajorities in the General Assembly. As of Wednesday morning, Democrats had secured 44 Senate seats, up from 40, and 80 House seats, up from 78. Three Senate races and seven House contests remained uncalled. Analysts noted that the final margins could reach 46-13 in the Senate and 85-33 in the House.

Democrats targeted specific suburban seats in the House and won them, along with additional districts. In the 52nd District, Maria Peterson defeated incumbent Republican Martin McLaughlin by more than 11 points. This was a rematch of the 2024 race, which McLaughlin had won by only 47 votes. In the 48th District, Democrat Amanda Zahorak ousted incumbent Jennifer Sanalitro, who had won the seat by nearly 16 points two years ago. Erica Bray-Parker of Wheaton won the open 47th District seat by an 18-point margin.

Republican leadership in the House also faced losses. Jeff Keicher of Sycamore, the conference chair, trailed Veronica Garcia-Martinez in the 70th District by more than 1,800 votes with 74 percent of the count in. Dan Ugaste of Geneva, the assistant minority leader, trailed Ricky Rivard in the 65th District by 16 points with 64 percent of the count in. In the Danville area, incumbent Brandun Schweizer trailed Mary Catherine Roberson by nearly 800 votes. In the Metro East, Kevin Schmidt trailed George McLellan in the 114th District by fewer than 600 votes with 96 percent of the count in.

Senate races in the suburbs also shifted. Michele Clark of Algonquin won the 33rd District by nearly 25 points, defeating Danielle Penman and ousting outgoing Republican Don DeWitte. Nabeela Syed of Inverness won the race against incumbent Darby Hills by about 14 points, moving from the House to the Senate. Seth Lewis of Bartlett lost to Ben McAdams by more than 9 points. Craig Wilcox trailed Karen Battaglia by more than 5 points in a result that surprised many observers.

In the Metro East, incumbent Erica Harriss trailed Marsia Geldert-Murphey by nearly 6 points. Dave Syverson, a 33-year incumbent representing the Rockford area, trailed his Democratic challenger in the 35th District by more than 900 votes with 85 percent of the count in. Syverson has held the seat since 1993.

In other statewide races, Kwame Raoul won a third term as attorney general. He defeated Bob Fioretti, who had previously sought the Cook County state's attorney, Chicago mayor, and Cook County Board president. Raoul said Illinois he will seek a budget increase to improve staff retention and continue challenging President Donald Trump in court. Alexi Giannoulias won another term as secretary of state. His opponent, Diane Harris, a Joliet Junior College trustee, reported spending about $3,400. Giannoulias, who has about $20 million in funds, will run for mayor of Chicago in February.

Mike Frerichs won the treasurer race against Max Solomon. Frerichs first took office in 2015 after winning by 9,220 votes. He is expected to win by double-digit percentages this time. Croke, the new comptroller, said the campaign was long and surreal. She announced her candidacy on July 18 of last year. She raised just under $3 million, with major donations from Michael Sachs, the Pritzker campaign, and trade unions. Drew raised just under $200,000, with more than a quarter of that amount coming from his own funds.