In Tuesday’s primary election, the Cook County Democratic Party’s selected candidates swept the judicial races, facing minimal competition and experiencing low voter turnout. The candidates backed by the party seem set to win. They’re leading by a lot in the race, which is impressive because there aren’t strong challengers.
Even though there are still over 100,000 mail-in ballots to count, it’s clear who’s going to win in the countywide contests. In Cook County, where most people are Democrats, winning the Democratic primary usually means winning in the main election in November.
However, voter enthusiasm was notably subdued, with turnout projected to be the lowest in at least 80 years for a presidential primary, as reported by the Sun-Times on Tuesday night.
Among the party’s selections, Justice Joy Cunningham emerged victorious in the Illinois Supreme Court race, establishing a commanding lead over her opponent, Appellate Court Judge Jesse Reyes. Their campaign revolved around issues of racial and ethnic diversity within the court.
In the fiercely contested appellate court battles, slated candidates Celia Gamrath, currently a Cook County judge, and Cynthia Y. Cobbs, an appointed appeals judge, secured victories over challengers Leonard Murray and Carolyn J. Gallagher, both Cook County circuit judges.
Likewise, in the countywide contests for circuit judge, the party’s endorsed candidates—Pablo F. deCastro, Neil Cohen, Edward Joseph Underhill, and Debjani “Deb” Desai—maintained insurmountable leads.
Voters cast their ballots in judicial subcircuit races delineated by geographic districts. While the Democratic Party refrains from formally endorsing candidates in these contests, party officials often express preferences.
Two subcircuit races remained closely contested: the 11th subcircuit race between Audrey Victoria Cosgrove and Kim Przekota and the 18th subcircuit contest featuring Jeffrey G. Chrones and Sunil Bhave.
