Editor’s note: For the most updated Election Day results and news coverage, visit our Election Central webpage.

Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean beat out seven other candidates in Tuesday’s 8th Congressional District Democratic primary while Republican Jennifer Davis held a strong lead in her primary for the chance to succeed five-term incumbent Raja Krishnamoorthi.

With an estimated 88% of ballots counted, unofficial results Tuesday night showed Bean leading the eight-candidate Democratic pack with 20,319 votes — or 32% of the total. Meanwhile, with an estimated 71% of ballots counted, Davis led a four-person Republican field with13,170 votes for 51.3%.

Also on the Democratic ballot were Junaid Ahmed of South Barrington with 16,806 votes , Dan Tully of Carol Stream with 7,938, Yasmeen Bankole of Hanover Park with 5,986, Kevin Morrison of Mount Prospect with 5,801, Neil Khot of Hoffman Estates with 4,278, Sanjyot Dunung of Des Plaines with 1,583 and Ryan Vetticad of South Barrington with 715.

The other GOP hopefuls were Mark Rice of Arlington Heights with 10,373 votes, Kevin Ake of Elk Grove Village with 1,149 and Herbert Hebein of Chicago with 995.

Bean and Davis announced their candidacies in mid-September, changing the dynamics of races that had seemed to be well in progress during the summer.

Bean previously held the office from her defeat of longtime Republican incumbent Phil Crane in 2004 until her own 2010 loss to Joe Walsh by 291 votes. Davis is the co-founder and former CEO of an international technology software company and author of the book “Living Exponentially.”

Cook County Board District 15 Commissioner Morrison and Hanover Park Village Trustee Bankole were the only two current holders of elected office who ran for the nomination. Both previously worked as staffers for Krishnamoorthi.

Ahmed had challenged Krishnamoorthi in the 2022 Democratic primary, while Rice took on the incumbent in the 2024 general election after having been uncontested in the primary.

The greater interest in this year’s primaries for both parties was largely sparked by last May’s announcement that Krishnamoorthi would be running for the retiring Dick Durbin’s U.S. Senate seat instead.

The 8th District includes portions of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20260317/us-congress-politics/bean-davis-ahead-in-8th-congressional-district-primaries/