Monday, November 12, 2012
President Barack Obama’s re-election sparks hope, disappointment, even resilience among St. Charles small businesses.
The campaign rhetoric is over, the election won by some, lost by others. Barack Obama will lead the nation through a second term. Generally, regardless of who won and who lost — from the presidential race to congressional to state and local campaigns — most agree the economy remains in tough shape. Further, there are threats on the horizon that could throw the nation back into a tailspin: The so-called fiscal cliff — a dual tax whammy that will hit after the first of the year, largely because of the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. Short of congressional action, the outcome will be a significant increase in taxes that could trigger a renewed downward spiral into recession. Economic troubles that persist in the European Union will continue …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Randy Hultgren coasts to an easy win over Democrat Dennis Anderson—the first incumbent to win 14th District re-election since Dennis Hastert.
In the days when House Speaker Dennis Hastert roamed the Earth, Illinois' 14th Congressional District was a guaranteed red-state Republican romp. The Grand Old Party had gone unbeaten, untied and unscored-upon in this conservative Chicago collar-county district since 1939, and when the former Yorkville High School wrestling coach rose to the lofty post of House speaker, it seemed there would be no end to the 14th District Republican dynasty. Then came Hastert's curious midterm retirement. And a nationwide Democratic insurgence. And Bill Foster’s 2008 win over Hastert’s hand-picked successor, Jim Oberweis. Randy Hultgren righted the 14th District ship for his political party with a close win over Foster in 2010 and sealed the deal Tuesday …
Rob Russell wins the race with 56 percent of the vote. Here are some quotes and a recap of other Kane County races.
Republican Rob Russell won a contentious race Tuesday for Kane County coroner, according to unofficial election results. With 291 precincts reporting, Russell captured about 56 percent of the total vote. His opponent, Democratic candidate Tao Martinez, came in with 43 percent. "I’m very happy, very humbled for this opportunity," Russell told Patch. "I look forward to serving the citizens of Kane County for the next four years." Martinez said the campaign, his first time running for public office, was a challenging one. He congratulated all of tonight's winners on both sides of the political spectrum. "I have no regrets in how I ran my campaign," Martinez said. "I tried to set an example. I was not your typical candidate. Everyone noticed …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
McCormick Place is filled with celebration as the race is called.
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
LIVE from McCormick Place: Patch reports live from the Chicago celebration. Comments on this post are set for pre-publication review.
What will 2012 ballots in northern Illinois show about President Obama's support at home?
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Updated at 3 a.m., Chicago time By Dennis Robaugh After NBC and CNN projected President Obama's re-election, the president sent a message shortly thereafter on Twitter at 10:14 saying simply, "This happened because of you. Thank you." Illinois, of course, was never in play. Our state's 20 electoral votes were stuck in the president's back pocket as far back as his inauguration in 2008. But in 2008's historic election, President Obama carried every collar county in northern Illinois. In 2012, the president narrowly lost out to Mitt Romney in Kane County, Kendall County and McHenry County, with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Voter turnout again was very strong. Local polling places even reported lines at 6 a.m. with voters waiting to get…
Find coverage of the various congressional matchups throughout the Patch network.
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
While many of northern Illinois' congressional races left little in the way of doubt, a few provided down-to-the-wire drama and competitiveness. Judy Biggert and Bill Foster were in a dead heat as Election Day approached, with Foster emerging victorious, according to unofficial totals. And Joe Walsh and Tammy Duckworth engaged in a bitter mudfest, with Walsh being tossed out by voters. Jesse Jackson Jr. didn't campaign at all, citing health issues, yet won-reelection, and Adam Kinzinger, Dan Lipinski, Danny Davis and Peter Roskam didn't feel they had to. Coverage of the various congressional races can be viewed throughout the Patch network.
Obama supporters from around the suburbs and the city of Chicago waited to see the president during an election night rally in McCormick Place.
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Waiting for the president to arrive at McCormick Place on election night, supporter Ignacio Ayala of Plainfield said he hoped the night would bring some of the same excitement as the rally in Grant Park in 2008. "I hope it's the same," said Ayala. "That was big." More than 10,000 people are expected to rally around President Barack Obama as he and his campaign members await election results tonight. Like Ayala, other Obama supporters said they, too, were hopeful that the election results would bring cause for celebration. Elvin and Nicole Knox, from Homewood, said they had been checking predictions on CNN and Politico all day. Nicole said she had voted for Bush in 2004, and her husband said he had voted for Bush or had not voted at all. …
About 15 minutes after the polls closed, news media sources put Illinois in the Obama column, giving the president 20 electoral votes.
President Barack Obama won Illinois’ 20 electoral votes on Tuesday, defeating Republican Mitt Romney. Illinois, of course, was never in play. The only visit the president made to his home state late in the campaign came Oct. 25, when he returned to the South Side to cast an early ballot at the Martin Luther King Community Center. Obama is the first president to ever vote early in a presidential election. The Wall St. Journal and the Associated Press called the state about 15 minutes after the polls closed. The president's handling of the economy is a major factor in many voters' decision this year. "This election bears serious significance for our future," said Sheila Brady of Orland Park, outside her Fernway Elementary School polling …
After months and months of political campaigning the races are over and all that remains is for the votes to be tabulated. Results for Congress, state and local races will be shared here once final vote totals are announced.
The presidential campaign is over now. Local races have grown increasingly contentious in the days leading up to Nov. 6. Now, the endless campaigning comes to an end and the attack ads will cease. All that remains is for the votes to be tallied and the winners announced. We will be updating the results for Congress, state and local races of interest to residents in St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia once the ballots are tabulated. Participate in a live blog tonight and share your thoughts with others in Kane County.
Election Day reports, insights and observations from Geneva Patch Editor Rick Nagel, Batavia Patch Editor Charles Menchaca and St. Charles Patch Editor Ted Schnell.
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
5 p.m.— Batavia-area voters are moving through the polls quickly and painlessly. Here's what some of them had to say on the Batavia Patch Facebook page: Vicki Dvorak Islely: "I voted at lunchtime. Only a couple people were ahead of me. No long delays. Was basically in and out." Wendy Coyle: "Line of 10 around noon, I was voter #460; ran out of 'I Voted' stickers, but that's probably a good thing:)" St. Charles Patch: I spent the early afternoon at the St. Charles Police Department picking up police reports and waiting as folks posted to my Facebook query on their voting experiences on Tuesday. I got home and made a pot of coffee, filled up my Thermos, set up my laptop and am ready for the “fun” to begin later this evening. I am not certain…
Mike Garrity
2:20 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
You quote Fox "News" as a source? Home of Karl Rove, Dick Morris, and other deep thinkers? There's your problem. Gasoline prices are driven by refinery activity, and currently refineries are holding at 80-85% production. Less gas, more money for middlemen. Oh, my source is the Wall Street Journal...no fan of Obama, but they do know why gasoline prices are high. Finally, Donna, your location, and … more ›