Martwick, LaPointe and Kelly win on election night in Far Northwest Side primary races
by BRIAN NADIG
Democratic voters in three local Far Northwest Side races chose to send incumbents back to Springfield, according to unofficial election results in the June 28 primary.
State Senator Robert Martwick (D-10) is leading Chicago police detective Erin Jones with about 66 percent of the vote, and state Representative Lindsey LaPointe (D-19) is ahead of real estate broker Tina Wallace with about 74 percent of the vote, according to election night results.
Meanwhile, state Representative Mike Kelly (D-15) is ahead of Edgebrook resident Michael Rabbitt with about 53 percent of the vote and is likely to hold on to the lead even though more mail-in ballots need to be counted. Kelly was appointed to the House seat last year after former state Representative John D’Amico retired.
With nearly all precincts reporting, Martwick received 12,631 votes and Jones received 6,524 votes. Kelly leads Rabbitt 5,672-4,981 of the total votes cast and LaPointe received 8,180 votes to 2,707 votes for Wallace. Officials vote totals will not be known for days.
Martwick and LaPointe will not face a Republican challenger in the general election unless the Republican Party chooses to appoint another candidate for the election in November. Kelly will face Republican Mark Albers in the general election on Nov. 8.
“I’m very pleased that Democratic primary voters chose me to continue to represent them,” Martwick said Tuesday night.
During the campaign, Jones criticized Martwick for his support of the crime reform bill, but Martwick said that most voters agreed that the criminal justice system could be made “fairer and equitable” while at the same time supporting police.
The Illinois 10th Senate District includes Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Old Irving Park, Norwood Park, Edison Park and parts of Gladstone Park.
“I want to thank the constituents of the 15th District for putting their confidence in me to continue representing our communities. In the 6 months of representing our district so far, I have fought for our working-class families, common sense gun control and protecting reproductive rights. I look forward to continuing that work,” Kelly said in a statement issued Tuesday night.
“I also want to thank Michael Rabbitt for a well-fought campaign and his commitment to serving our district. I hope we can work together to bring home a win in November to keep the 15th District Democrat,” Kelly said.
The Illinois 15th House District includes Edgebrook, Sauganash, Mayfair and parts of Gladstone Park.
LaPointe will be elected to her second full term as representative after being appointed to the position in 2019.
The Illinois 19th House District includes Jefferson Park and parts of Portage Park in Chicago, and a portion of Harwood Heights in the suburbs. The recent mapping of the district added parts of Old Irving Park and Independence Park.
In the campaign, Wallace stressed that voters were fed up with violent crime and wanted change.
LaPointe, a social worker who is known for knocking on doors during campaigns, has said that there are too many illegal guns on the streets and that while law enforcement must be supported and funded adequately, the state also needs to invest in the “frontline” community-based organization’s working to reduce violence.
Cyryl Jakubowski contributed to this report.
