Illinois 18 Special Election Thread

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Mellon and LaHood will be debating tonight and tomorrow night: http://www.whig.com/story/29858713/lahood-mellon-to-debate-twice-this-week

Brief look at both candidates:

http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Time-to-meet-18th-Congressional-District-Candidate-Darin-LaHood---322898161.html
http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/We-take-a-look-at-18th-District-Congressional-Candidate-Rob-Mellon-322770191.html

The GE is 2 weeks from tomorrow

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

The general is the day after Tomorrow. I'm predicting a 66-34 LaHood victory.

Anyone think Mellon will win?

[NewYorkExpress]

My Prediction

LaHood 62
Mellon 36

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Results Page: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2015/by_state/IL_Page_0910.html?SITE=AP&SECTION=POLITICS

Nothing in yet

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Early vote coming in:

U.S. House - District 18 - Special General
Central West
1 of 780 Precincts Reporting - 0%
Name    Party   Votes     Vote %
LaHood, Darin   GOP   740   73%
Mellon, Rob   Dem   275   27%

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

This is looking like a total drubbing. LaHood outperforming Romney by 10 points.

U.S. House - District 18 - Special General
Central West
6 of 780 Precincts Reporting - 1%
Name   Party   Votes   Vote %
LaHood, Darin   GOP   1,039   71%
Mellon, Rob   Dem   434   29%

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Depressing Turnout is delaying AP's call on the race. But the winner looks obvious:

U.S. House - District 18 - Special General
Central West
42 of 780 Precincts Reporting - 5%
Name   Party   Votes   Vote %
LaHood, Darin   GOP   2,677   71%
Mellon, Rob   Dem   1,069   29%

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Tightening slightly. Still no call.

U.S. House - District 18 - Special General
Central West
118 of 780 Precincts Reporting - 15%
Name   Party   Votes   Vote %
LaHood, Darin   GOP   5,631   68%
Mellon, Rob   Dem   2,691   32%

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Called for LaHood

U.S. House - District 18 - Special General
Central West
365 of 780 Precincts Reporting - 47%
Name    Party   Votes   Vote %
LaHood, Darin   GOP   15,782   68%
Mellon, Rob   Dem   7,576   32%

[Attorney General & PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Final Results in. LaHood outperforms Romney by 8%.

U.S. House - District 18 - Special General
Central West
780 of 780 Precincts Reporting - 100%
Name   Party   Votes   Vote %
   LaHood, Darin   GOP   34,907   69%
Mellon, Rob   Dem   15,840   31%

[Zioneer]

So Darin LaHood gets his dad's old seat? Expected, but at least we get an Arab-American in Congress again (as Ray LaHood was Lebanese-American, I imagine his son also identifies as such).

[SATW]

So Darin LaHood gets his dad's old seat? Expected, but at least we get an Arab-American in Congress again (as Ray LaHood was Lebanese-American, I imagine his son also identifies as such).

Justin Amash is Palestinian, and Robert Pittenger is also Lebanese via his father, I believe...so that makes three now with LaHood. It's interesting that both muslim members of Congress are not Arab (Keith Ellison and Andre Carson).

[SATW]

I stand corrected, Pittenger himself is NOT Lebanese, his father-in-law is, but not anyone in his direct blood-line.

Darrell Issa, however, is also Lebanese.

[Tender Branson]

What a schocking result ...

[Zioneer]

So Darin LaHood gets his dad's old seat? Expected, but at least we get an Arab-American in Congress again (as Ray LaHood was Lebanese-American, I imagine his son also identifies as such).

Justin Amash is Palestinian, and Robert Pittenger is also Lebanese via his father, I believe...so that makes three now with LaHood. It's interesting that both muslim members of Congress are not Arab (Keith Ellison and Andre Carson).

Oh yeah, I forgot about Amash and Issa. Still interesting that none of the three Arab-Americans are Muslim, and that the two Muslims in Congress are black. In fact, out of the three Buddhists in Congress, only two are Asian; the last, Hank Johnson, is black. This Pew Research poll is interesting in terms of Congressional religion. Would be fun to see a similar poll on ethnicity.

EDIT: Apparently Charles Boustany is also Arab-American (Lebanese again, and Christian, and Republican).

[rbt48]

If I am not mistaken, this is the first time in the 114th Congress that the number of Republicans actually reached 247.  The resignation of Grimm was before they were actually sworn in, then the death and resignation of the Mississippi representative and Schreck.  So now they actually have exceeded the 246 of the 80th Congress.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

If I am not mistaken, this is the first time in the 114th Congress that the number of Republicans actually reached 247.  The resignation of Grimm was before they were actually sworn in, then the death and resignation of the Mississippi representative and Schreck.  So now they actually have exceeded the 246 of the 80th Congress.

I believe there were two days at the beginning where it was 247.