Schakowsky declared winner in 9th District race
Veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston has defeated Republican challenger Seth Cohen of Chicago in the contest for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat, The Associated Press declared.
With an estimated 76% of ballots counted late Tuesday, Schakowsky was ahead 175,329 votes to 88,024 votes, unofficial results from The Associated Press showed. That gave Schakowsky about 67% of the total.
Cohen conceded in a statement to the media and congratulated Schakowsky on her win.
“For the sake of our nation and the American people, we pray for her success in the 119th Congress,” he said.
Schakowsky has held the seat since 1999 and is the longest-serving congressional representative from Chicago’s suburbs.
It was the first political campaign for Cohen, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was raised in Buffalo Grove.
Schakowsky is an outspoken proponent of gun control laws and wants a federal ban on assault weapons, while Cohen opposes new gun laws.
Schakowsky has demonstrated for abortion rights and criticized the Supreme Court’s decision leaving abortion laws to states. Cohen supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade, saying states should make the decision. He refused to say if he thinks women should be allowed to have abortions or not.
While both candidates are Jewish, their stances on Israel and the war in Gaza differed.
Schakowsky supports a two-state solution to violence in the Middle East. She also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both for postponing efforts to diplomatically end the war and for expanding the war beyond a battle with Hamas, the terrorist group responsible for last October’s deadly attacks in Israel. She called for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and the release of all hostages there.
Cohen opposes the creation of a separate Palestinian state and said terrorism is “fundamental to the Palestinian life.” He called the war “a moral imperative” and said the U.S. has failed Israel by not fully supporting its ally.
The 9th District includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.