Schneider leads Severino in bid for fifth term in Congress

Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider holds a large a lead in his bid for a fifth term in Congress, unofficial results showed Tuesday night.

With about 95% of precincts reporting, Schneider of Highland Park led Republican challenger Joe Severino of Lake Forest 116,237 to 74,510 votes in the 10th District contest - representing a little more than 60% of the vote, according to the early results.

A member of the House's bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, Schneider ran on a record of pragmatism in a North Shore-centric district long known for its centrist independence, but redrawn recently to include more rural areas. In a recent TV commercial, he declared, "Less yelling leads to better results."

Among the big campaign issues for Schneider: pushing for a federal assault weapons ban, voting to codify abortion rights, lowering prescription drug costs and tackling climate change.

Severino - who declared his candidacy more than two years ago - complained about Schneider's refusal to debate, even confronting him at a recent town hall in Buffalo Grove.

The 10th District encompasses parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties, starting in Wilmette and going up to the Wisconsin state line, then extending as far west as Hebron.