Walker winner in 66th District House race

It's official. Democrat Mark Walker of Arlington Heights will be the next state House representative in the 66th District, a seat previously considered a Republican stronghold.

Republican Christine Prochno called Walker early this morning to concede the election, giving Walker the right to call himself the victor.

Walker's camp said the newly minted representative will be at his campaign headquarters this afternoon in Mount Prospect, available for comment on his win.

Prochno believed she had been the favorite going into the race earlier this year since she had government experience as an Elk Grove Village trustee and won an endorsement from incumbent state Rep. Carolyn Krause, who held the seat for many years before announcing her retirement, putting the seat up for grabs.

Prochno said Walker outspent her and being a Republican didn't help her in a year when many had become disenchanted with the Bush administration.

"It's a lousy year to be a Republican," Prochno said.

With 95 percent of the vote in, Walker received 20,357 votes, or about 52 percent of the total, compared to Prochno's 18,585 votes, or about 48 percent.

Late Tuesday, when about one-sixth of the votes remained out, neither camp was willing to claim victory or concede.

The fight for the 66th state House grew nasty at times.

On behalf of Prochno, the Republican party highlighted Walker's previous DUIs that he'd received in 1996. That caused Walker to condemn Prochno, an Elk Grove Village trustee and former school teacher, for allowing the fliers to be published, saying he had been sober since than and calling it a low blow.

But Walker's fliers caused a stir as well. Walker's camp put out a piece saying Prochno presided over a deficit budget as Elk Grove Village trustee, which pulled Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson into the fight, with Johnson calling Walker a liar about the village's deficit and threatening legal action.

Ever since Krause announced she was stepping down, her seat has become prime political real estate. Given the turnover of the seat and the political climate, Democrats believed Walker, a former business executive, who's now a self-employed consultant for Walker Information, had a fighting chance to take the seat.

Krause had supported Prochno in this traditional Republican stronghold, which serves parts of Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Wheeling Township, Palatine, Schaumburg and Elk Grove Village.