Pritzker winner in Democratic governor race

Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker has secured his party's nomination after a lengthy and expensive six-man race.

"Tonight, we've taken the next step of beating Bruce Rauner and putting Illinois back on the side of working families," Pritzker said. "When I announced this campaign, I chose to stand with Illinoisans across this state and I chose to fight."

Unofficial results show Pritzker - a Chicago businessman running his first political campaign - carrying Chicago and the suburbs as well as most of the downstate counties and receiving more than 44 percent of the vote statewide.

http://reportcards.dailyherald.com/gfx/electest/demmap.html

Nearly half the precincts around the state have reported totals so far.

Former state Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston was holding onto a slim lead for second place and winning in two downstate counties with predominant college student voting populations. Kenilworth developer Chris Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy, was holding onto third place and winning downstate Iroquois County.

The three other Democratic candidates, Chicago activist Tio Hardiman, Madison County School Superintendent Bob Daiber and Burr Ridge physician Bob Marshall, have less than 4 percent of the vote combined.

Pritzker has long been the state party favorite with endorsements from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. He has poured millions of dollars into the primary race that has gotten nastier in recent weeks between the three front-runners. Pritzker, of Chicago, started off strong with positive ads touting his charitable efforts. But his image was bruised somewhat after FBI tapes of his talking political horse-trading with disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich emerged.

Biss, a former mathematics professor, called himself the true independent in the race and developed a strong network of supporters, many of whom saw him as a successor to fiery Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Although not well-known personally when the campaign began, Kennedy's famous last name caught the attention of voters with soft spot for the political clan. He cast himself as a true independent, criticizing top Democrats from Madigan to Mayor Rahm Emanuel.