North Cook News

Michele Hunter, the Republican candidate to represent the 54th House District, thanked her supporters after her loss to Democrat Mary Beth Canty.

"Thank you to everyone that voted, volunteered, donated, and supported this campaign," Hunter stated on her Facebook page. "I'm grateful for every single one of you."

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Canty defeated Hunter with 21,664 votes, or 59.4% of the vote to Hunter's 14,786 votes, or 40.6% of the vote, with 98% of the votes counted in the 54th district. The district lies entirely within Cook County and includes the far Northwest suburbs.

According to her campaign website, Hunter graduated near the top of her class at the University of Iowa in both her undergrad and law school programs. Out of law school, she worked as a law clerk with the Second District Appellate Court for 15 years. She campaigned on repealing the SAFE-T Act, and a zero-based budgeting system for the state.

According to Ballotpedia, Canty has a bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary and a law degree from the University of Arizona. She campaigned on public safety, women's rights, and reducing property taxes.

Canty and Hunter both ran unopposed in their respective primaries. Canty's win is among the Democratic successes in the first general election without former House Speaker Michael Madigan. The Democrats are still holding supermajorities in both houses of the General Assembly. 

"We know that when we fight, we win — and tonight, that couldn’t be more true," House Speaker Emanuel Welch (D-Westchester) said on election night, according to the Chicago Tribune. "House Democrats have fought tirelessly for working families and have secured important legislative wins to protect reproductive rights, rebuild our infrastructure, fund critical public safety initiatives, and so much more." 

"The people have spoken," said Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). "Now it’s time to get to work governing." 

On the heels of Republican losses across the state, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge) announced he would not seek another term as leader: "It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as leader of the House Republican caucus, but it’s time for the Illinois Republican Party to rebuild with new leaders who can bring independents back to the party that are needed to bring change to the state." 

Republicans went into the election with high hopes; however only 78 of the 118 House seats were contested, and in the Senate only 25 of 59 seats were contested. Republicans made modest gains in the state Senate, but it was still a disappointing night for them.