Prairie State Wire

In light of official results from the November election, J.B. Pritzker looks more like governor of Chicago than governor of Illinois.

He carried Cook County by 720,543 votes and his challenger Darren Bailey carried the rest of the state by 205,980 votes.

Pritzker defeated Bailey 74% to 24% in Cook County and Bailey defeated Pritzker 52% to 45% in the other 101 counties.Voters in 90 counties preferred Bailey.Beyond Cook County, Pritzker’s support shrank by the mile.

He won 60% in Lake County, 56% in DuPage County, 54% in Kane County, and barely half in Will County.

McHenry, Kendall, and DeKalb counties on the western fringe of the Chicago area split almost perfectly, casting 94,415 votes for Bailey and 94,399 for Pritzker.Kendall and DeKalb counties favored Pritzker but didn’t give him a majority.

McHenry County favored Bailey but didn’t give him a majority.

In the rest of the state Pritzker and Bailey competed closely in population centers and Pritzker lost by wide margins everywhere else.

In a region from Paris and Sullivan southwest to Carlyle and southeast to Metropolis, less than a fifth of voters chose Pritzker. Bailey’s popularity around his home produced 89% in Wayne County, 88% in Edwards County, and 85% in Clay and Jasper counties.

In a region from Carthage and Quincy southeast to Taylorville and Greenville, less than a fourth of voters chose Pritzker.

Pike County delivered 84% for Bailey and Brown County delivered 83%.St. Clair County stood out as the only place in the southern half of the state where voters preferred Pritzker.

He captured 45,071 votes and Bailey captured 41,154, a 51% to 46% result.

Bailey more than offset his St. Clair deficit by carrying Madison County with 55,205 votes to 39,856, a 56% to 41% result.Rock Island and Champaign counties produced majorities for Pritzker and he carried Peoria and McLean counties without majorities.

Just as Madison County overcame Pritzker’s margin in St. Clair County, Tazewell County overcame Peoria County with 63% for Bailey.   

The region around the University of Illinois and Illinois State University reflected a deep division between campus communities and their neighbors.

Pritzker scored 59% in Champaign County, 49% in McLean County, 34% in Piatt County, 30% in Vermilion County, 28% in Logan County, 26% in DeWitt County, 25% in Woodford and Livingston counties, and 24% in Ford and Douglas counties.

The same effect emerged around Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Bailey beat Pritzker in Jackson County by 69 votes for a 49% to 48% result.

Pritzker plunged to 27% in Williamson County, 26% in Randolph and Union counties, 23% in Perry County, and 22% in Franklin County.

In Sangamon County, where many residents work for Pritzker, 39,166 votes chose Bailey and 38,161 chose Pritzker for a 49% to 48% result.

Percentages don’t add up to 100 because 3% statewide voted for Libertarian Scott Schluter.