Campaign notebook: Stoller leads Nicklaus in 37th state senate race

Win Stoller had a 527-vote lead over Brett Nicklaus with 95% of the vote counted in the 37th District state senate Republican primary, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday afternoon.

The Associated Press had not called a victor in that race.

According to unofficial results, Stoller was leading with 11,122 votes while Nicklaus had 10,595.

Stoller, a Germantown Hills business owner, is seeking his second term in the state senate.

There was no Democratic primary.

The district was redrawn and extended farther north than had it had the previous decade.

Nicklaus, a certified financial planner from Dixon, was making his first run for the state legislature. He had strong returns in the six northern counties, and was leading in Whiteside, Ogle, Lee, Rock Island, DeKalb and La Salle.

Stoller was strongest in the district’s southern end, and was leading in Henry, Bureau, Stark, Marshall, Peoria and Woodford counties.

State House District 89

Incumbent lawmaker Tony McCombie, whose Savanna home is in the redrawn 89th statehouse district, appeared to be the winner in the Republican primary against retired police officer Victoria Onorato of Bryon.

The AP showed McCombie with 75% of the vote, 9,522 to 3,170 with 95% of votes counted.

In a Facebook post, McCombie thanked supporters and said she would “rededicate myself to the hard work ahead of us in turning Illinois around. I appreciate the many new voters for me in this new district who saw the vision and invested in a better future for northwest Illinois.”

There was no Democratic primary in the 89th.

U.S. House District 16

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood thanked voters for a “resounding victory” Tuesday in a field of four candidates seeking the Republican nomination in Illinois’ 16th Congressional District.

LaHood had 66.3% of the vote in a race the AP called at 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

With 95% of the vote in, LaHood had 55,961 votes. Walt Peters had 11,208, JoAnne Guillemette had 10,378 and Michael Rebresh 6,851.

“Thank you to the Republican voters in the 16th Congressional District for delivering us a resounding victory in the primary election,” LaHood said in a statement. “It’s clear that 16th District voters want a strong conservative voice and local advocate in Congress who will defend our Midwestern values. I look forward to the work ahead to earn the trust of 16th District voters in the general election this November.”

There was no Democratic primary for the same seat, and no other candidates have been announced for the general election.

LaHood has represented the 18th District since 2015. But that district was eliminated when Illinois’ congressional delegation was reduced by one based on the results of the 2020 census.

The 16th District became an open seat when U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who has served in Congress since 2011, decided not to seek another term.

LaHood was an Illinois state senator from 2011 to 2015, is a former state’s attorney and holds a law degree from John Marshall Law School.

Immigration, national defense, gun violence, school safety and term limits were issues that emerged during the campaign.

State treasurer

Incumbent state Treasurer Michael Frerichs, a Democrat from Champaign, and state Rep. Tom Demmer, a Republican from Dixon, were both unopposed on their respective primary ballots.

Even so, it’s worth a glance at how the two general election opponents fared among primary voters in each others’ home counties.

In Champaign County, Frerichs got 11,891 votes, according to unofficial totals. Demmer got 12,861 votes.

In Lee County, Demmer got 3,882 votes. Frerichs had 1,008 votes.

Campaign notebook appears periodically during the 2022 campaign season.