O'Neill Burke on tight Cook County State's Attorney race: 'When is this going to be over?'
CHICAGO - The Cook County State’s Attorney’s primary race showed that every vote matters.
That’s what Eileen O’Neill Burke said to supporters on Monday at the Plumbers Local 130 UA Training Center, 1400 W. Washington, where she started her campaign.
O’Neill Burke thanked voters and organized labor for supporting her bid to replace Kim Foxx as state’s attorney.
She began her career as a young prosecutor within the office, worked as a criminal defense attorney, rose to the position of Appellate Court Judge, with some speculating she was on a short path to the Illinois Supreme Court.
Eileen ONeill Burke looks to general election
Eileen ONeill Burke, Democratic nominee for Cook County States Attorney, will host a victory event Monday morning after a close race against Clayton Harris. She will join her supports at Plumbers’ JAC Local 130 to celebrate and talk about plans for the upcoming general election.
She gave up the robe to become a crimefighter, O’Neill Burke said.
"I’m not giving up on Chicago and we needed a change, that is why I stepped down from the bench, that’s why I decided to do this," O’Neill Burke said.
She beat Clayton Harris, III by only about 1,500 votes. The counting of ballots took 10 days, which she said was tough.
'It was worth the wait': O'Neill Burke wins Cook County State's Attorney Democratic Primary
Retired Appellate Court Judge Eileen O'Neill Burke has won the Democratic Primary race for Cook County State's Attorney.
"Sometimes I was screaming. Sometimes my husband was screaming, ‘When is this going to be over?'," she said.
O’Neill Burke said the election showed the democratic process is something to believe in, even though it can be messy.