Bolingbrook mayor holds on to seat by 151 votes after Trump backlash

Longtime Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar, whose support for Donald Trump ignited a tougher-than-expected re-election campaign, has narrowly defeated his Democratic challenger.

Tuesday's count of provisional and mail-in ballots found Claar won with 6,425 votes. That is 151 more than challenger Will County Commissioner Jackie Traynere.

Claar hosted a fundraiser for Trump in September, which angered some voters in the suburb of about 75,000 people. He noted he wasn't running just against Traynere but also against her Democratic supporters.

Claar has been mayor of Bolingbrook since 1986. His previous three elections came after running unopposed or against write-in candidates.

In a statement, Traynere said village residents clearly want change given it was a close election. She said change will happen, but not as swiftly as was hoped.