Cole gets easy win in House District 62

State Rep. Sandy Cole of Grayslake coasted to victory in Tuesday's Republican primary and will move on to face a Democratic challenger in House District 62.

With all 83 precincts counted, unofficial results show Cole received 4,344 votes to Paul Mitchell's 2,675.

Cole won the right to face Democrat Richard Voltair of Round Lake Beach in the November general election. Voltair, who didn't have primary competition, has listed property tax reform and deficit and debt reduction as his top issues.

District 62 includes all or parts of Grayslake, Gurnee, Lake Villa, Third Lake and the Round Lake area.

Cole said her willingness to provide service to District 62 residents and open-mindedness on issues likely helped to propel her to victory.

"I've been doing this public service since 1997 or so," said Cole, a former Lake County Board member. "I like the work. I like helping people."

Cole, 56, said job creation, business growth, transportation improvements and government ethics top her agenda. She said she's against tax increases and values serving district residents from her local office.

Mitchell, 47, of Hainesville, said he had hoped to make a better showing in the primary, but nonetheless was upbeat after his defeat. He said he intends to support Cole and all other Republicans on the ballot in November.

"It's been a good race," Mitchell said. "I'm proud of what we did. We wanted to give people a choice."

Cole said it's too soon to look ahead to her November race with Voltair because she'll be busy with state representative work in the coming weeks. She said she'll start looking toward the election after the state budget is finalized in May.