Republicans take some state Legislative seats

SPRINGFIELD – Despite facing the specter of Rod Blagojevich and voter anger over the economy, Democrats held onto control of the Illinois General Assembly.

Republicans managed to flip just two seats in the suburbs on Tuesday, one in the House and one in the Senate, despite targeting several more.

In the last two elections, Democrats saw big gains in the area, allowing party leaders in the General Assembly to hold strong majorities in both the House and Senate. Republicans hoped to win some of those seats back.

“Clearly, we thought we would have done a little better in those races,” said Sara Wojcicki, spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Tom Cross.

Incumbent Democrats state Sen. Michael Bond of Grayslake and state Rep. Mark Walker of Arlington Heights were defeated by Republicans Suzi Schmidt of Lake Villa and David Harris of Arlington Heights.

But with results still pending in a couple close races, most other incumbent Democrats in the suburbs have held on.

The GOP picked up more seats downstate. In all, Republicans have gained six seats in the House and two in the Senate.

State Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat, said suburban Democrats may have survived some of the Republican wave because voters had focused more on federal races.

“People were more focused on what was going on nationally,” Link said.

With final results in the governor's race still pending, Democrats could be on their way to continuing their hold on most areas of state government. With most races called, the Democrats are set for a 64-54 advantage in the House and a 35-34 majority in the Senate.

While Democrats still control the General Assembly, having fewer members could give Republicans more power and affect how the House and Senate operate.

Lawmakers plan to meet for a couple days this month before the new-look General Assembly is seated. On Thursday, the Senate could consider a plan to take out up to $4.1 billion in loans to pay for public employee pensions.