Evanston Election Results: Biss Elected Mayor, Incumbents Trail

EVANSTON, IL — Early results from Tuesday's primary election in Evanston indicate voters may have determined the winner of the races for the city's two citywide offices without needing an April runoff.

Daniel Biss declared victory after unofficial results showed him with a lead of more than 4,500 votes over his nearest competitor. With more than half of votes counted, he wins the race outright, according to the terms of the 1992 referendum.

An hour after polls closed, Biss had collected more than 73 percent of the votes counted and declared victory on a video teleconference with supporters and the press.

"Tonight is a night of celebration for us, tomorrow morning is a morning of rest, but then we enter a period of work," Biss said. "Work to transform our city, work to enact this new vision, work to build policies that work for every single Evanstonian and lift every single Evanstonian up, and I'm asking all of you to join me in that work, just as you joined me this campaign. Thank you so much, I love you more than you will know and I cannot tell you how I'm excited about what we're going to accomplish together."

Biss campaigned on his ability to lead the city through the pandemic in a more equitable direction and a plan to enact "transformational" policy changes at the municipal level, including public safety reform, a push for affordable housing and improved sustainability policies.

"I have to say that none of that can come to pass if our community remains as divided as we sometimes feel, if it remain as easy for our community to turn legitimate and important and passionate differences of opinion into fundamental divides that say, 'You're on my side and they're not on my side,' that say, 'We are more committed to fighting a war against each other than figuring out a way to move this community forward,'" Biss told supporters Tuesday night.

"I'll be honest, I have been at times during this campaign concerned about some of the divisions that I've seen in this community. Not concerned because I'm a mushy-middle kind of a guy. Not concerned because I feel like if one person says this and the other person says that, than halfway in between must be right, not because I'm hesitant to fight for my values — I'm running because it's critical that we fight for our values — but simply because sometimes I've seen that the fighting that we engage in stops us from making progress instead of enabling us to make progress," he added.

"So I am ready to listen to everybody, to hear every voice, not to promise to agree with you, but to make sure that you know that if you share your view, I will hear it, I will learn it, I will internalize it and even if you don't convince me, I will grow from it and it will affect the way I think moving forward."

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Sebastian Nalls, a Purdue University undergraduate and former program director in the Evanston Parks and Recreation Department, issued a statement as voting wrapped up Tuesday.

"This journey has connected me even more to a community that I am happy to call home. The stories I heard shaped not only my policies but who I am as a person. I hope that my efforts have inspired many across Evanston to see that we do have a pathway forward to a future that is equitable and just," Nalls said.

"Democracy took place today, and I am thankful to all those who participated."

Lori Keenan, the owner of a local public relations and marketing firm, came in as runner-up to Biss, according to the unofficial results. She issued a statement congratulating Biss and thankign all voters who cast ballots in the races.

"I entered this race because I care deeply about the people of Evanston, and I wanted to elevate their voices. For me, this race has always been about serving our community. I will continue to show up and speak up the way I have for the past 22 years and look forward to working with a new City Council and mayor for a better Evanston," Keenan said.

"I want to thank the many local organizations that hosted important conversations about Evanston and the challenges we face as a community. And I’d especially like to acknowledge what a tremendously bright future I see for the third candidate in this race, Sebastian Nalls, and what an important role he and many young adult organizations have played in informing all of us on the many important issues facing Evanston," she added. "I hope the dialogue with our new mayor leads to a more productive and transparent relationship between the people of Evanston and our elected officials, and am very grateful for the support of my family and the many friends and volunteers who helped along the way."

Biss, a former state representative, state senator and second place finisher for the Democratic Party's 2018 gubernatorial nomination, handily outraised and outspent his two opponents many times over. He secured endorsements from a majority of the Evanston City Council, as well as his former primary opponent, Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Stephanie Mendoza, the only candidate for Evanston city clerk who managed to submit sufficient signatures to appear on the ballot, appears to have earned more than 75 percent of votes cast, according to unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk's Office.

The number of votes for individual write-in candidates, of which there are six in the clerk's race, have not yet been released by the county clerk's office. But in order to get their name on the April 6 ballot to challenge Mendoza, one of them will need to collect 922 out of the 2,242 write-in ballots cast.

There were 4,500 mail-in ballots received, with more than 2,000 of them still outstanding as of Tuesday, according to City Clerk Devon Reid. Mail ballots are valid as long as they are postmarked by Feb. 23.

There are also tight races in the 4th Ward and 8th Ward, where incumbent aldermen Don Wilson and Ann Rainey risk being eliminated from the race before the April 6 runoff election.

Each incumbent were in third place with one precinct in their ward outstanding, though each was separated by fewer than 50 votes in the ward-level races.

Rainey, the City Council's senior member, was first elected to represent the 8th Ward in 1983. She trailed City Clerk Devon Reid and Ridgeville Park District Commissioner Matthew Mitchell, according to unofficial results.

Wilson, a local lawyer elected to the City Council in 2009 with 51 percent of the vote before twice running unopposed, trailed both Diane Goldring and Jonathan Nieuwsma.

The new mayor, city clerk and City Council are scheduled to be sworn in on May 11.

UPDATE: Two Evanston City Clerk Candidates To Appear On April 6 Ballot

Updated with additional results.