Lake Co. primary races got down and dirty
Voters seeking to cast ballots in some Lake County legislative races will have to wade through quite a bit of slung mud to make their decisions at polling places today.
The campaigns have been particularly nasty in the 59th House District, which covers part of eastern Lake County and a bit of Cook County. The two-way Democratic race has been marred by name calling, and on the Republican side, one candidate needed a state Supreme Court ruling to stay on the ballot.
The GOP race for the 62nd House seat in central Lake County took a turn for the negative, too.
The legislative races are in addition to heated battles in the six-way Republican primary race in the 8th Congressional District, and the 10th Congressional District primaries, which feature five Republicans and three Democrats looking to replace incumbent Mark Kirk who is seeking a U.S. Senate seat.
In the 59th District's Democratic primary, Buffalo Grove Village President Elliott Hartstein is challenging incumbent Carol Sente. Sente is far from a veteran, however; she was appointed to the post last year after Kathy Ryg resigned.
During the campaign, Sente took swipes at Hartstein in campaign mailers, accusing him of supporting legislation she claimed would reduce free speech rights at zoning meetings.
Hartstein shot back by criticizing how Sente was appointed to the post and blasting state House Speaker Michael Madigan for being Sente's "political godfather." Sente and Madigan both brushed off the remarks.
Sente wasn't as understanding when it came to automated calls made recently to voters by a Republican political group that said Sente is a member of the National Rifle Association. Sente denied she's a member of the group. So did the association's spokesman.
The group behind the calls, Citizens to Change Illinois, is funded by state House Republican leader Tom Cross. A Cross spokeswoman defended the calls.
The Republican race in the 59th District has been exciting, too. Vernon Hills Trustee Cynthia Hebda was knocked off the ballot because of a petition violation, but she appealed and on Thursday the state Supreme Court said her name can remain.
The 11th-hour move means it will be a three-way race between Hebda and two Green Oaks residents, Dan Sugrue and Mohan Manian.
The court's decision also raised questions for election officials. People who voted early or by mail were told votes for Hebda would not be counted even though her name appeared on ballots.
Lake County Clerk Willard Helander said she expects Hebda to demand a special election, depending on today's results.
The Sugrue and Manian campaigns have been relatively sedate.
In the GOP primary for the 62nd House District seat, Paul Mitchell of Hainesville is challenging incumbent Sandy Cole of Grayslake. Democrat Rich Voltair is running unopposed and will face the Republican winner in November.
Mitchell has run at Cole from the more conservative side of the Republican Party, criticizing Cole's pro-choice stance on abortion, for example.
They sparred over illegal immigration at a Daily Herald-sponsored forum in January.