UPDATE 11/27: With the long holiday weekend, the earliest the Oberweis campaign can submit a discovery recount request with any of the 7 county clerks is Monday, November 30.
Next Friday, December 4, the Illinois State Board of Elections will officially declare Congresswoman Lauren Underwood the winner, and when/if the Oberweis campaign can prove otherwise in a Court of Law, Underwood will be sworn into a 2nd term in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 3.
Article moved up to continue comments discussion with latest update.
| Candidate | VOTES | VOTE PCT. |
| Lauren Underwood | 203,209 | 50.7% |
| Jim Oberweis | 197,835 | 49.3% |
| TOTAL | 401,044 |
From the congressional campaign of Jim Oberweis November 19:
Jim Oberweis issues statement on final vote tally and upcoming discovery recount
Sugar Grove, IL – Jim Oberweis, candidate for Congress in the 14th District, is issuing the following statement on the final vote tally and the discovery recount his campaign is seeking.
“The final vote count to be certified has me down
5,356[5,374] votes to Lauren Underwood.“With more than 401,000 votes cast in the race, the difference between my vote total and her vote total is just over 1 percent or roughly 12 votes per precinct.
“Illinois election law has provisions to allow parties in a closely contested race to seek a discovery recount and I intend to pursue the legal avenues afforded to me as a candidate for office.
“In a race this close, we need to be certain the final vote count is correct.
“A discovery recount does not change a single vote, but it does allow us to see if the outcome might change with a full recount.
“The robust turnout for the Nov. 3rd Election in the 14th District is a clear indication of the tremendous interest in this race.
“We owe it to the 400,000 people who voted in this election to do all we can to ensure that the final outcome is the right outcome.”
Jim Oberweis statement 11/19/20
===================================
McHenry County Blog updated notes: Since the initial publication of this article, 94 additional votes were counted in DuPage and McHenry counties netting Congresswoman Lauren Underwood 18 votes.
As previously reported, state law allows the Oberweis campaign to ask for a discovery recount for up to 115 precincts of the 462 precincts in the 14th congressional district.
The 7 county clerks have posted final certified returns.
Counties’ electoral boards have certified the Official Canvass, and the deadline for certification by the Illinois State Board of Elections is Friday, December 4.
It is anticipated the Oberweis campaign will seek its discovery recount on Wednesday morning, November 25 in the 115 precincts to-be-determined precincts.
Here are the final returns broken out by county.
Additionally, the performance of the major presidential tickets within the 14th district in each county are included:
| Candidates | DeKalb | DuPage | Kane | Kendall | Lake | McHenry | Will | TOTALS |
| Lauren Underwood | 9,615 | 5,366 | 53,966 | 22,046 | 27,449 | 53,625 | 31,142 | 203,209 |
| Jim Oberweis | 9,902 | 3,236 | 51,435 | 21,747 | 26,705 | 60,653 | 24,157 | 197,835 |
| TOTAL | 19,517 | 8,602 | 105,403 | 43,843 | 54,154 | 114,405 | 55,339 | 401,044 |
| Biden/Harris | 9,731 | 5,449 | 55,226 | 21,972 | 27,735 | 53,218 | 34,415 | 207,746 |
| Trump/Pence | 10,562 | 3,158 | 49,951 | 22,332 | 25,877 | 60,465 | 25,478 | 197,823 |
| TOTAL | 20,293 | 8,607 | 105,179 | 44,304 | 53,612 | 113,810 | 59,933 | 405,569 |
| Underwood O/U | (116) | (83) | (1,260) | 74 | (286) | 407 | (3,273) | |
| Oberweis O/U | (660) | 78 | 1,484 | (585) | 828 | 188 | (1,321) |
As pointed out in comments in previous articles, Oberweis won only two counties: McHenry and DeKalb
The Trump/Pence campaign won 3 counties within the 14th district: McHenry, DeKalb and Kendall.
Please note, all counties except McHenry and Kendall counties have “split precincts”, or voting precincts within multiple congressional districts. The precincts’ entire presidential returns included.
The overperformance within a county of Oberweis and Underwood is displayed, with a positive number meaning “overperformance” over the respective party’s presidential ticket. “Underperformance” is opposite.
Clearly, something is off with Kendall County, since Oberweis lost Kendall by 299 votes, but Trump/Pence won Kendall by 360 votes.
Whether the 61 precincts in the 14th district will be included in the discovery recount remains to be seen.
Bonus observation from Geneva-based, 14th district blogger and political consultant Jeff Ward, posted on Oberweis’ campaign Facebook page late last week:
“A 500 vote margin will never significantly change under any form of recount, much less 5,400. Please stop embarrassing yourself and the Republican Party by pressing this farce forward. You lost, plain and simple.
“And please deal with your addiction to running for office because you may be able to win primaries, but you’ll never win a general election beyond State Senate.”
Jeff Ward, comment on Jim Oberweis congressional Facebook page, 11/19/20
.
McHenry County Blog will provide updates on the progress of the discovery recount as new information becomes available.
I don’t buy those totals for a New York minute.
Cheat by mail folks, pure & simple.
Look at the software!
That’s a decent statement by Oberweis.
Good to see he’s not resorting to wild conspiracies and hyperbole.
It is a close election and should be looked at closely, but I do expect him to come up short again.
He’s just not a winner.
Keep on It O.B.
I’m sure there is more hidden illegal out there…
Who determines what precincts get recounted?
Correcting, state law determines the number of 25% of the precincts within the 14th district, using math of number of precincts divided by 4 and drop the fraction. 462 / 4 = 115
Specific precincts determined by the candidate asking for the discovery recount.
The leading candidate can also have observers in the county clerks offices to observe the discovery recount, and one would assume Underwood will have observers.
Once the county clerks publish their respective Official Canvass, the Oberweis campaign will pore over those numbers to target specific precincts in a given county.
Very likely, precincts with high volume of vote-by-mail ballots will be most likely targeted for discovery recount.
Hopefully this loser won’t be seen or heard from ever again.
Yes, I voted for him.
I despise him, but I abhorrent dirty Underpants.
What’s the point?
Even more Underwood votes will be ‘discovered’.
Elections have become useless in Illinois.
My guess, the discovery recount at this point will be to prepare for an Oberweis run in 2022, in what will be expected to be a Republican year in a midterm.
Oberweis has the knowledge he’ll win a primary no matter what the district looks like, and buoyed with surpassing most people’s expectations this year, that’ll bring Oberweis back for a final run.
There is no Republican who can stop him and he and his people know it.
Remember, this year Oberweis was only going to run for 3 terms, no reason why he can’t run and serve for two.
Oberweis winning the primary isn’t the issue, because he usually does. 🤓
The issue is winning the general election, which he has only won once. ☹️
Republican primary voters prefer stability in a primary, and Oberweis hasn’t lost a primary since 2006.
Now, one person who might give Oberweis a challenge in an IL-14 redrawn district if it includes the city of Aurora, and that’s Chris Lauzen, who’ll be 70 in 2022, and no longer Kane County Board chair.
The Cook Political 1st cut map had all of Aurora, Kane & DuPage portions in the new 14th.
BTW Eddie, Oberweis’ 2 state senate terms he won generals over the same Democrat opponent.
Same lady who’s about to be sworn-in as Kane County Board chair next month.
You really need to stop pretending that the Cook Political Report’s map is at all relevant to what the maps will look like.
Many people on this blog have echoed Jeff Ward’s request for Oberweis to get out of politics.
They say he’s had his chance.
He blew it.
He can’t win the big ones, and he isn’t getting any better.
Perhaps after the state has certified the election results (or sooner) we could learn what John thinks about this request for Oberweis to not run for high office again.
AlabamaShake, as I said when Cook Political first debuted its map (though vague in my comment), it had no basis in reality of IL Democrats remap Mike Madigan (and it will be Madigan) will draw.
That said, there were many things in the Cook map that will happen, including:
-Making the 14th more friendly (more Democratic) to Underwood
-Diluting McHenry County’s influence in any congressional district, chopping McHenry County into 3 districts, two of them baconmandered to stretch into Cook County
Cook’s Dave Wasserman approached his draft map to draw 17 districts for IL, changing 3 current Trump ’16 districts to Clinton ’16 districts. He used IL-14, along with IL-13 and IL-17.
What got us here, Oberweis will have name ID anywhere given he’s run statewide 4 times in past 20 years and nobody with possible exception of Chris Lauren, is politically strong enough to beat him nor will be a year from now.
What about the 12,341 votes shifted from O to U in the dominion glitch?
And what county in the 14th uses Dominion?
John, yes State Senator Jim Oberweis (R-25) won the general election twice. 😁
That state senate district is much smaller than the 14th CD. 😐
Yes, Oberweis would win the Republican primary (even if he dies).
He needs to win the 14th CD General Election to become congressperson, which presumably will be won by incumbent Congressperson Lauren Underwood. 😁
Can anyone name a Chicago congressperson who died in a 1960s’ primary and still won?! 😐
John – Oberweis barely won his primary this year, and was significantly helped by running against other candidates.
Let’s not overplay his primary success.
I am also pretty confident that the national GOP will do a lot to try to make sure that Obwerweis never runs in a general election again.
But even if they don’t, Oberweise will be very beatable in a primary in 2022.
And, sure, I too am confident that IL14 will be more Democratic after the new maps are drawn, so we agree on something!
Perennial Candidates
Jane Byrne
Democratic
Chicago Mayor
1979 – won
1983, 1987 & 1991 – lost
Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court – 1988 – lost
😐
Sheila Jones
Lyndon LaRouche
Democrat
An accomplished singer and musician, Jones always lost races for political office.
Congressperson
D-9 – 1982 & 1992
D-1 – 1983 & 1984
US Senate – 1986
IL Governor – 1994
Chicago Mayor –
1983, 1987, 1989 & 1991
Cook County Recorder of Deeds – 1988
☹️
Perennial Candidates
Ray Wardingley
“Spanky the Clown”
Republican
Wardingley always lost
Chicago Mayor –
1979, 1983, 1987 & 1995
Chicago Alderperson (19) – 1999
Congressperson
R-1 – 2000, 2002, 2004 & 2010
R-3 – 2006
State Senate – 2008
☹️
Lawrence “Lar” Daly
*America First”
Democratic or Republican, depending on mood, but always lost.
IL Governor –
1956 & 1964 – Republican
Chicago Mayor –
1959 – both parties
1963 & 1967 – Republican
US President
1956 & 1976 – Republican
America First &
Tax Cut Parties – 1960
US Senator
1942 & 1962 – Democratic
1950, 1954, 1966, 1970, 1974
& 1978 – Republican
Congressperson
(R-7) – 1957 & 1973 –
Republican
(R-13) – 1969
☹️
That’s totally not going to be a waste of time, Jim. (said no one ever)
Really should have spent more money.
Perennial Candidates
Bob Fioretti
Democratic
Chicago Alderperson (2)
2007 – won & 2011 – won
🙂
Chicago Mayor
2015 – lost & 2019 – lost
Cook County Board President
2018 – lost
Cook County State’s Attorney
2020 – lost
Illinois State Senator
2016 – lost
☹️
Chester Hornowski
Republican
Longtime Chicago Police Officer
RIP
Chester lost all of these:
Chicago Mayor – 1987
Illinois State Senate –
1986 & 1988
Illinois State Representative – 1992
Chicago Alderperson –
1991, 1999, 2003 & 2011
Congressperson – 1996
Roland Burris
Democratic
Roland won the following:
Illinois Comptroller –
1978, 1982, 1986
Illinois Attorney General –
1990
US Senator (D-IL)
2009 – 1 year appointment
🙂
Roland lost the following offices:
Illinois Comptroller – 1976
US Senator (D-IL) – 1984
Illinois Governor –
1994, 1998 & 2002
Chicago Mayor – 1995
🙂
Replying to AlabamaShake:
John – Oberweis barely won his primary this year, and was significantly helped by running against other candidates.
Oberweis won his primary with a small plurality of 25.6% of the vote, but it was a win and it wasn’t “barely won” close, as his victory over 2nd place finisher Sue Rezin was well above the threshold to prevent Rezin from seeking a discovery recount.
As you know, you have to be within 95% of the winner’s vote total to qualify for discovery recount, Rezin was barely 89% to Oberweis.
Definitely not a mandate, but not close.
While Oberweis was helped by a crowded field of 6 opponents, only 3 of them were really viable.
Also, his name ID, along with support from the Republican establishment across the district combined with his opponents inability to fund a full media campaign, Oberweis won.
Let’s not overplay his primary success.
Tough to overplay, but can’t ignore it either. Since 2006, Oberweis bested some really quality Republican candidates including Chris Lauzen (2008), Dave Richmond (2012) and the viable candidates in the 2020 congressional field.
Throw-in the new map in 2022, and unless someone has run statewide in recent years, he’ll be at an advantage over any primary opponent.
I am also pretty confident that the national GOP will do a lot to try to make sure that Obwerweis never runs in a general election again.
That was tried this year, when the Congressional Leadership Fund, through a “pop-up” super PAC spent nearly $1 million in negative broadcast TV and radio advertising against Oberweis.
No candidate was able to take advantage of it, but the super PAC’s attack ads in last 10 days of primary campaign is what brought Oberweis’ plurality down to below 26%.
Polls had Oberweis leading by double-digits before the super PAC attack ad spots hit.
But even if they don’t, Oberweise will be very beatable in a primary in 2022.
Anybody is beatable, but you’re embellishing when you say “very beatable”.
Oberweis has all the contacts in place to make a successful primary run even before the new map is final, plus he has the money to buy support not only in TV ads but grassroots workers.
In 2022, he has the ability to show how close he came in 2020, he can say he’ll finish the job in 2022.
As I said earlier, unless someone has run statewide in recent years, he starts at a huge advantage, and his team has shown they can win primaries.
My guess, given there will be a vacuum, Oberweis will make the race.
If he decides not to run, he will definitely make sure a person of his choosing will win the race.
Neither of his two sons are interested in running, from what I’ve heard.
Little Eddie wasting time and space with his useless gibberish that
only serves to impress his deeply disturbed self.
As his never ending quest for social acceptance continues, his only hope
for a return to sanity lies with Dr. Phil.
John, how is Jim Oberweis going to win the 14th Congressional District General Election, in 2022? 😐
The 14th CD will presumably be more Democratic, with incumbent Congressperson Lauren Underwood heavily favored and support from Republican Precinct Committeepeople is questionable? 😐
DisHonestAbe1, you sure talk about yourself often. Don’t worry hubby, il
I’ll take care of you forever, DisHonestAbe1. 😁
Eddie, that will be the question for Republican primary voters that year as they will consider Oberweis and other candidates.
Given we are heading to what looks like a Joe Biden presidency, mid-terms are always tough on the party in the White House, and the last two Democratic Presidents (Clinton, Obama) saw the U.S. House flipped to Republican in the mid-terms of their first terms (1994, 2010).
Throw-in it’s the first election after a re-map across the country, and unlike this year, when Republicans weren’t expected to make gains in the House (they’ve flipped a net of 10 seats thus far), Republicans will be favored to flip the House in 2022.
Will that come to Illinois?
It could, since 1994 saw Dan Rostenkowski’s 5th district seat flipped, and 2010 saw Joe Walsh and Bobby Schilling flip the 8th and 17th district seats respectively.
2010 was also with a Democratic-drawn map.
While the Underwood district WILL be more Democratic in 2022, it won’t be THAT much more Democratic to overcome the likely Republican year 2022 will be as a mid-term of a Biden presidency.
John, Mike Flanagan (R-5), Walsh and Schilling all served one term, making those victories short lived. 🙁
In the 10th CD, Bob Dold (R) won twice non-consecutively, but ultimately lost to Brad Schneider (D). ☹️
Eddie, understood about short-lived for all 3 (Flanagan, Walsh, Schilling), with Walsh and Schilling flipping after the Democrat remap for 2012.
I guess I forgot about the 11th and 14th being flipped in 2010, too.
Kinzinger drawn out of 11th into 16th at the remap and knocked out Manzullo in 2012.
Foster, after losing the 14th for a term, was drawn into the 11th, and flipped it as open seat, and Foster is there ever since.
Retrieve those stolen votes, Congressperson Jim Oberweis.
Retrieve those stolen votes, President Donald Trump.
Two more years! Two more years!
😁🤓🦉🔔
Hi John. 🙂
Congressperson Underwood also has race and gender advantages too. 😐
Congressperson Cardiss Collins (D-7, 1973-1997) always won. 😐
Congressperson Robin Kelly (D-2, 2013-present) always wins. 😐
Trump donors paid $3,000,000 for Biden to extend his lead in the Wisconsin recounts.
The Nixon southern strategy has turned into the trump stupid strategy.
I am glad Trump paid for Biden leads.
Massive cheating in the 2020 election means Oberweis should request an AUDIT, not just a recount.
Folow the lead of Trump’s champaign team and challenge all of it.
with Love, a Right Wing Voter in Kane County IL
If there has been cheating in the 14th district, no one has presented any specifics.
Mina Smith, the first step to gathering specifics, as Cal Skinner pointed out needs to be presented, is to do the “discovery recount” Oberweis’ campaign announced it would do, and will formally request as early as Monday.
Please don’t get caught up with articles about other states, and “AUDIT” vs. “recount” vs. “discovery recount”.
In Illinois, only a judge can order a full recount, and before a judge will do so, there must be credible evidence supporting the need for the full recount.
Just like a court case, the “discovery” for evidence is the discovery recount.
Since you mentioned Kane County, there are issues taking place there, and additional discovery recounts to be requested likely on Monday.
Kane Co and Lake Co are corrupt.
McHenry Co software is B-A-D!
You keep saying this garbage, anonymously and with no evidence.
Do you think you convince people by repeating a conclusion like a child, over and over until someone listens?
Martin, are you Kenneally?
There are several hundred mailed in ballots with postmark dates BEFORE the ballots were even mailed out to the supposed recipients in McHenry Co.
Why is nobody talking about this?
I believe these votes were all Biden Underwood, too. Nobody else voted for on ballot.
Wake up sheep!
In what counties do you say this happened?