Democratic Cook County state’s attorney primary remains undecided

A day after the polls closed, the Democratic primary for Cook County state’s attorney remained too close to call.

Unofficial results show former appellate court Judge Eileen O’Neill Burke with a slim lead over Clayton Harris III, a former prosecutor who was endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party.

The Democratic nominee will face Republican Bob Fioretti in the Nov. 5 general election, to replace Kim Foxx, who announced last year she would not seek a third term as the county’s top prosecutor.

With 84% of votes counted late Wednesday afternoon, The Associated Press reported Burke has 242,248 votes, about 51% of the total, to Harris’ 232,871 votes. It was unknown how many late-arriving mail-in are left to be counted. Ballots postdated by Tuesday can be counted if received within two weeks of the primary.

Speaking to their supporters Tuesday night, both candidates expressed a desire to see every vote counted and urged patience.

“While we may have had our differences, we all share a love for this city and this county,” said Burke. “We will be patient and we will let the democratic process play out.”

Harris sounded similar sentiments.

“We’ve waited a long time for this day to come. It looks like we’re going to have to wait a little bit longer,” he said. “We’ll make sure every voice is counted and every voice is heard.”