Forest Park voters followed the statewide outcome in its support for gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker, who defeated opponents Dan Biss and Chris Kennedy in last week’s gubernatorial primary.
But the outcome would have gone differently had the only voters been in either Oak Park or River Forest.
Forest Park Democrats sent 38 percent of their votes to Pritzker. Kennedy, who came in second to Pritzker, barely edged out Biss by just 14 votes.
Oak Park Democrats favored Biss, with just under 42% of those who cast their ballots choosing the Evanston-based state senator. Pritzker came in second in Oak Park, capturing just under 30 percent of the vote and Kennedy finished third with 26 percent.
The governor’s primary was a different story in River Forest, where Kennedy prevailed with 37 percent of the vote to Biss’ 32 percent and Pritzker’s 29 percent.
An analysis by the Chicago Tribune and Associated Press put the results across the state at 45 percent for Pritzker, 27 percent for Biss and 24 percent for Kennedy.
Voter participation in the governor’s race was higher in Oak Park than in Cook County, River Forest or Forest Park. Over 44 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in Oak Park, compared to River Forest at just under 38 percent, Forest Park at 36 percent, and 29 percent in Cook County.
In the Cook County Assessor’s race, Fritz Kaegi won the primary countywide with 47 percent of the vote. Incumbent Joe Berrios captured 32 percent and challenger Andrea Raila got 21 percent.
Kaegi, an Oak Park resident, had the hometown advantage, winning over two-thirds of the vote, with 68 percent of his neighbors voting for him. Both Berrios and Raila got about 16 percent of the vote in Oak Park, with Berrios’ 2,376 votes to Raila’s 2,352.
The assessor’s race had similar results in River Forest, where 67 percent of voters chose Kaegi, 17 percent Raila and 16 percent Berrios. In Forest Park, Kaegi took just under 52 percent of the vote, Berrios just under 28 percent and Raila 21 percent.
CONTACT: tim@oakpark.com
