North Cook News

Bill Robertson has won the GOP primary to run for the state Senate District 27 seat.

He thanked voters for pushing him over the top in the June 28 primary. Robertson notched 58.8% of the vote with 6,468 votes to Joshua Alvarado’s 41.2% at 4,538 votes, according to Ballotpedia. 

"To everyone who supported me and voted to send me to Springfield to get things done for us, I want to personally thank you for the trust you placed in me," Robertson said in a Facebook post. "It is evident that voters are just as tired of the lack of productivity in Springfield as I am and are ready for a leader who will get to work to deliver tangible results. I will be that leader and I am honored that the voters saw that when electing me the Republican nominee. I am looking forward to continuing to share with residents my plans to respect their hard-earned tax dollars, protect local control of education, and make our communities safer."

Robertson was endorsed by the Daily Herald in the contest. In a Q&A he noted government should have handled the COVID-19 pandemic better than they had. 

“Our government could have responded so much better, especially in terms of our children and education," Robertson told the Daily Herald. "Decisions in each school district should be made by the parents, students, and local leaders in those communities, not bureaucrats in Springfield or Washington. This was especially evident during COVID, where leaders in many school districts had whiplash from how often we would work with our community to develop a plan, then have to change everything last minute because of a new state directive. While the state needs to do more to support education, we must reduce mandates because there is no one-size-fits-all solution to education -- every school district is different. I will protect local control of our education. Inconsistent rules were put in place for businesses, with small businesses all shut down while big box stores were allowed to stay open. This devastated many of these family businesses, some of which closed and the rest are still recovering today. We needed more common sense.” 

He was also endorsed by the Chicago Tribune.

According to his campaign website, Robertson is an educator who has held positions as a professor, teacher, administrator of schools, and head of a school board. He has held the positions of superintendent in Creston CCSD 161 and Fremont School District 79. 

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University, Robertson earned two master’s degrees: one in teaching from Rockford University and one in school leadership from Concordia University Chicago. Robertson then earned a Doctor of Education in School Leadership degree from Concordia University Chicago. 

He will face incumbent state Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) in the Nov. 8 general election. The 27th District includes Palatine, Arlington Heights and South Barrington.