State Rep. Margaret Croke declares victory in Democratic primary for Illinois comptroller

State Rep. Margaret Croke declared victory in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election race for Illinois comptroller.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m., Croke said that based on the results to that point, she felt “confident” to announce the win from her election night party at Plumbers Local 130 in the West Loop. The Associated Press had not called the race.

With almost 90% of the expected votes counted, Croke had 34.6% of the vote, leading state Sen. Karina Villa, who had 32.3% of the vote.

Villa said in a statement late Tuesday that she has not conceded the race.

“This election is not over,” she said. “There are still too many outstanding ballots in the mail and in drop boxes before a candidate is declared a winner. We will wait until more votes from the people of Illinois are counted.”

The winner aims to replace outgoing Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who announced last year that she would not seek reelection after serving as the state’s chief financial officer since 2016. The opponent in the November general election will be Republican Bryan Drew, a downstate lawyer.

After not appearing all night at her election party, Croke entered the small upstairs room at the plumbers training center with her three kids and husband, Patrick Croke. She spoke while intermittently holding her toddlers, who she said represented hope for her.

Supporters applaud Tuesday at the Election Night party for State Rep. Margaret Croke, Democratic primary candidate for Illinois comptroller, at the Plumbers Local 130 Training Center on the Near West Side.

“I believe our government should be powered by that same hope,” Croke, 33, from Lincoln Park, said. “Our guiding question as public servants should be this: What kind of Illinois are we building for the next generation? What will the state look like when the next generation goes to school, finds their first job and starts their own family?”

“As your next comptroller, I will work every day to make sure Illinois pays its bills on time, manages taxpayer dollars responsibly and brings transparency to the way we spend our money,” she said. “You work hard for every single dollar; the state should show you how these dollars are spent.”

Croke had Democratic endorsements from Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, while Villa had boasted more progressive endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Mendoza had endorsed Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim, 45, of Mundelein, as her replacement. Kim had 24% of the vote when she conceded the race late Tuesday.

State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, a Marine veteran from Oswego, had nearly 9%.

Croke had amassed the largest campaign war chest throughout the primary election cycle, according to recent state filings. She raised $1.8 million, compared with Villa’s $1.4 million. Billionaire business executive Michael Sacks had been Croke’s largest funder, providing nearly $160,000 to her campaign.

In addition to Welch, Croke collected endorsements from 36 other state lawmakers, including Reps. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, and Rick Ryan, D-Evergreen Park, who both attended her election night party. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Treasurer Michael Frerichs also appeared at Croke’s party.

“[Croke] is probably one of our smartest economic policy people down in Springfield, and her running the money for the state of Illinois, I can’t think of anyone better to do that job as comptroller than Margaret,” said Ryan, 59, who attended Croke’s party with his wife, Maureen.

Margaret Lefevour, 37, said she felt “positively optimistic” as she and other attendees at Croke’s party watched a livestream of election results that gave Croke a narrow edge before the race was called.

“I’m feeling optimistic. I think it is a close race, but it’s looking good,” said Lefevour, 37, from Lincoln Park.

Lefevour befriended Croke about three years ago and their sons attend kindergarten together, she said.

Margaret Lefevour, 37, attends the Election Night party for state Rep. Margaret Croke, who is running for Illinois comptroller.

“I think [Croke] would be a great fit because I know how hard she has been working as our state representative for our district,” Lefevour said. “She is very dedicated to the job and to the state of Illinois and I think she would do a wonderful job representing us. She cares a lot about the city and the state, and I think her heart is in the right place and that’s what we need in our representatives.”

Prior to being elected state representative in 2020, Croke worked as a deputy chief of staff for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. She also had worked on the campaigns of Pritzker and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Leading up to the election, Croke said that as comptroller, she would consider revamping the office’s vendor payment program, which expedites overdue payments to state vendors through financial institutions that later collect the money from the state.

She also said the state needs to salvage all federal grants still available to Illinois as the Trump administration has diminished federal grant funding to Democratic-led states.

Source link