Update: 11:06 p.m.
Defeated candidate Simon Rebeiro conceded, but remained proud of his effort.
“Of course, I would have loved to win," Rebeiro said, "but I was realistic, so honestly I’m happy to get 4,000 plus votes. That’s a lot, especially with the turnout being so low and especially with the overwhelming establishment support for my opponent and the power and the war chest that she has. So in spite of all of that, I think it’s great that I could make as big of a dent as I did.”
When asked if he would lend his support to Schakowsky now that he had lost the primary election, Rebeiro said that he would give her an opportunity to earn his support, but that her already disagreed with her trackrecord.
"From now until November, there’s six months, and if I don’t see the congresswoman really being forward on progressive issues, I can’t support her in good faith," he said. "There is a thing called the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), and it basically allows the military to arrest somebody and hold them indefinitely without charges put upon them and without that person having a defense or a court trial. And it was her party, and it was her president that supported this…It’s a really fascist law…So I can’t support any politician that would have that view.”
Update: 9:29 p.m.
Jan Schakowsky's primary election party was held at the Hop Haus at 7545 N. Clark St. Though she was away in Washington, D.C., the incumbent 9th Congressional District representative took a few minutes to speak with Patch.
“I am very, very grateful to the voters of the 9th Congressional District for the overwhelming support,” Schakowsky said, noting that the race was not quite over yet.
“I am looking forward to meeting many, many more voters from those areas and asking them questions," she continued. "There are over 100,000 new voters in the new 9th Congressional District and I want to make sure that I’m able to find out what they’re looking for from their congressperson for the general election.”
Schakowsky said that she had met with every mayor in the new portion of the 9th Congressional District and that she would continue communication with them to learn how she could assist local municipalities with the budget shorfalls many are facing.
State Senator Daniel Biss (D-9) and State Representative Robyn Gabel (D-19), who both ran unopposed in Tuesday's primary, were also in attendance.
Check the photo gallery for pictures of the primary election party, and stay tuned, as Patch will be reaching out to Simon Ribeiro for comment, as well.
Candidate Total Votes Percentage Jan Schakowsky (D-IL, incumbent) 13,916 92.5% Simon Ribeiro (D-Evanston) 1,135 7.5%Update: 8:10 p.m.
Jan Schakowsky will win her race, given that she's got 93 percent of the vote over Democratic challenger Simon Ribeiro with 252 of 336 precints reporting.
Update: 8:00 p.m.
With 178 of 336 precincts reporting, incumbent Jan Schakowsky has a dominating 85 percentage point lead.
Update: 7:01 p.m.
The polls just closed. We'll get results out to you as soon as we hear something. Stay tuned.
