Cook County Downballot Results

Cross posted from ICPR's blog, The Race is On:

All of the county-wide judicial races in Cook County were uncontested, and Democrats won them all. Democrats also did very well in the contested subcircuit races, even in normally Republican subcircuits. Democrats ran candidates in every subcircuit seat, and won most of those they contested. The two most expensive, in the 4th and 12th subcircuits, went to the Democrat, despite the traditional Republican leanings of both of the suburban districts. In the 15th Subcircuit, Democrat Anna Helene Demacopoulous won 61-39 over Republican Peter Fera. The 13th subcircuit saw two contested races; neither drew huge amounts of money, and as of this morning, the Republicans held slim majorities in both with a handful of precincts yet uncounted.

On the retention ballot, no judges were removed from the bench. Judges need 60% of the vote to be retained and it looks like no judge got less than 65% of the vote -- that was Judge Edward Pietrucha, who was found unfit for the bench by 5 of the 10 bar groups that rated judges. Judge Cassandra Lewis, found unfit by 7 of the 10, won retention with 68.6% of the vote.

In other Cook County news, the recall referendum passed county-wide, 63-37. Park Ridge voted for staggered terms for aldermen. And Riverside Township, home to Judy Baar Topinka and Tony Peraica, voted against the advisory/non-binding referendum to "disconnect" from Cook County.