The Cook County Republican Party announced today their endorsements for the 2014 Primary Election.
Businessman Bruce Rauner was endorsed over his three opponents for Illinois Governor. Also endorsed were Judy Baar Topinka, Paul Schimpf, and Mike Webster, unopposed Republican candidates for Illinois Comptroller, Attorney General, and Secretary of State. No endorsements were made in the races for Illinois Treasurer and U.S. Senate as Tom Cross and Doug Truax won their respective votes but did not reach the 60% threshold required for an endorsement.
“For the first time in recent memory, Republicans in the largest county in Illinois have a strong, public voice in the Republican Primary process,” proclaimed Chairman Aaron Del Mar. “For too long Cook County has been considered Democrat territory, yet there are more Republicans here than in any other county in Illinois. It’s time their voice was heard loud and clear. This is why we held this endorsement process. The Republican Party in Cook County is growing stronger every day and we will ensure the election of a Republican Governor in 2014.”
Ballots were cast by Republican Committeemen on behalf of their wards and townships. Votes were weighted based on the number of Republicans who voted in that township or ward in the 2012 Republican Primary. Committeemen were provided paper ballots containing unique barcodes and a pre-stamped envelope for them to mail in their vote. Committeemen were also provided a unique ID so that they could vote online if they chose. The deadline for both paper and online ballots was Wednesday, December 18th. Votes were tabulated starting at 8am on December 21st. All Republican Committeemen were invited to attend the tabulation to ensure an open and fair process. Certifying the results were Committeemen Garber, Gorman, Morrison, Smith and Yokoyama. The entire process was video taped to further ensure accuracy and transparency.
Official Results:
Governor
Bruce Rauner 63.38%
Kirk Dillard 10.18%
Dan Rutherford 5.94%
Bill Brady 0%
US Senate
Doug Truax 38.76%
Jim Oberweis 34.31%
Armen Alvarez 0.26%
William Lee 0.05%
Treasurer
Tom Cross 49.26%
Bob Grogan 31.19%
Comptroller
Judy Baar Topinka 67.81%
Attorney General
Paul Schimpf 70.03%
Secretary of State
Mike Webster 67.48%
