Krause concedes in 48th House primary race

Naperville Councilman Doug Krause is conceding his GOP primary race for state representative in the 48th House District to DuPage County board member Michael Connelly of Lisle.

The two stood together during a Thursday morning press conference at Naperville's municipal center to pledge they will present a united front in the November general election in case a Democrat enters the fray.

"What's most important is we have unity here so that we can make certain we can elect Mike the next representative for the 48th District," Krause said. "We need a Republican here with Republican values."

Connelly won the three-way Republican primary on Feb. 5 to capture his party's nomination to replace the retiring Jim Meyer on the November ballot.

But the race was close, and Krause refused to concede until all the votes -- including absentee, provisional and grace period ballots -- were counted.

On election night, Krause trailed Connelly by 51 votes. When the final count was completed Wednesday, that lead had dropped to 49 votes.

The third candidate in the GOP primary was Dave Carlin, a College of DuPage Trustee. The district covers portions of Naperville, Lisle, Wheaton, Woodridge and Bolingbrook.

Jon Myers, political director for the Democratic Party of DuPage County, said he does indeed anticipate his party putting a candidate on the November ballot.

"A couple people have expressed interest, and we have until April 7 to slate somebody," he said. "We're looking to do that."

Krause and Connelly said they are concerned about Democratic efforts to make inroads in DuPage. Nearly 55 percent of voters in the Feb. 5 primary pulled Democratic ballots.

Part of the challenge facing the GOP is a "euphoria" with the candidacy of Barack Obama, Connelly said. But he said he intends to spread the message that the 48th District is still Republican and it was GOP leaders who made it a great place to live.

"People move to DuPage County because they don't typically want to live in Cook County," he said. "They don't want to live with the highest sales tax in America. They don't want to live with the Strogers and the Daleys and the Rezkos and the Blagojeviches and people like that."

Of the GOP call for unity, Myers said, "they're going to need all the help they can get. We're working hard, and it's paying off."

Once Krause finishes campaigning for Connelly he will be back on the campaign trail himself. He said he plans to run for a sixth term on city council in 2009.