Dart Projected Winner In Sheriff Race: 2022 Illinois Election Results

COOK COUNTY, IL — Thomas Dart will remain Cook County's top cop for a fifth term. In Tuesday's general election, the 60-year-old Democrat's victory makes him the longest running sheriff in Cook County history.

"I am incredibly grateful to the people of Cook County for allowing me to continue to serve as their Sheriff," Dart said in a social media post. "My office will continue to fight violent crime and work tirelessly to improve public safety."

Dart, at the helm since 2006, ran against two opponents — Lupe Aguirre (Republican) and Brad Sandefur (Libertarian). In the last two election cycles, 2014 and 2018, Dart had run unopposed in both the primary and general elections.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. in Illinois. All election results are unofficial. Karen A. Yarbrough, Cook County Clerk, is overseeing the vote tabulations.

Both the New York Times and Chicago Tribune projected Dart the winner shortly before 10 p.m.

Here's where vote totals stand, according to Chicago Tribune:

• Thomas Dart (D): 955,612 votes (73.4 percent) with 99 percent of precincts reporting
• Lupe Aguirre (R): 309,985 votes (23.8 percent)
• Brad Sandefur (L): 37,101 (2.8 percent)

RELATED: Sheriff Dart Looks To 'Raise Up' Communities After IL Dem Primary Win

In June, Dart easily won the Democratic nomination, garnering 95 percent of the vote versus opponent Noland Rivera. Originally, Carmen Navarro Gercone was a candidate for the nomination, but she was tossed off the ballot June 8 for the second time by an Illinois appellate court. Dolton police officer LaTonya Ruffin was also removed from the ballot.

"We will continue to push the envelope to protect the public while raising up every community in this great county," Dart said after his victory.

According to the Cook County Clerk's Office, 44 percent of eligible voters in suburban Cook County voted. With all 1,430 precincts in the county reporting, of the 1,648,706 registered voters, 723,269 ballots were cast.

There were no Republican candidates on the ballot for the four-year seat during the primary, but Aguirre joined the political fray in August. Born in Durango, Mexico, he lives in Chicago. Aguirre's career experience includes working as a lawyer with his personal firm and as a Chicago police officer. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Illinois, a J.D. from Western Michigan University Law School, and a master's degree in Public Administration from the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

Sandefur was the selection for the Libertarian party in the race. Sandefur has over 40 years of law enforcement experience, including 32 with the Cook County Sheriff's Department. He has a master of science degree in criminal justice with a forensic psychology cognate. He is a doctoral candidate in criminal justice leadership.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office is the principal law enforcement agency that serves Cook County. It is the second-largest sheriff's department in the United States, with over 6,900 members when at full operational strength. The office oversees an annual budget of more than $60 million.

Dart has been in Illinois politics since 1991, having formerly served as a member of the Illinois Senate from the 14th District, and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 28th District.

According to his website, Dart is responsible for overseeing a police department that patrols and investigates crimes, while also hunting for fugitives, throughout suburban Cook County. He also oversees more than 10,000 inmates and 3,000 correctional officers at the Cook County Jail — the largest single-site jail in the nation. Additionally, Dart’s deputies are responsible for providing judicial safety in hundreds of courtrooms scattered across Cook County, while they are also responsible for serving thousands of court orders every year.