GOP incumbent Skillicorn, Democrat Ness take state House 66 primaries

State Rep. Allen Skillicorn has secured his party's nomination for the House District 66 seat after defeating challenger Carolyn Schofield in Tuesday's Republican primary, unofficial results show.

With all precincts reporting in Kane and McHenry counties, the incumbent - an entrepreneur from East Dundee - received 3,944 votes, compared to the 1,713 ballots cast for Schofield, a McHenry County Board member from Crystal Lake.

In the Democratic race, McHenry County Board member Suzanne Ness of Crystal Lake beat out Carpentersville Trustee Jim Malone by a margin of 7,468 to 2,147, according to preliminary tallies.

Ness will face Skillicorn in the November election.

This year's GOP primary was a rematch from 2018, when Schofield again lost to Skillicorn. The two candidates hold similar views on the need for pension and property tax relief.

Ness said she supports consolidating the state pension program and investing in higher education to prevent residents from leaving Illinois.

The preliminary tallies include early votes and mail-in ballots received so far. County clerks have through the end of the month to finalize the results.