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Oberweis claims victory in congressional race against Underwood
Jim Oberweis says he has won the race against Congresswoman Lauren Underwood with just 895 more votes than the incumbent has.
CHICAGO - Jim Oberweis says he has won the race against Congresswoman Lauren Underwood with just 895 more votes than the incumbent has.
The ice cream mogul and current state senator declared victory on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.
“Today, after contacting every County Clerk across the 14th District, I am pleased to say that, with only a handful of outstanding ballots, it appears that we have won a tough fought campaign,” he said.
Oberweis, 74, is challenging the 34-year-old Underwood for the congressional seat in the 14th district - an area that includes parts of seven counties and stretches from Minooka to the Wisconsin border.
The AP is reporting 100 percent of precincts have reported, but the race still has not officially been called, with the candidates splitting the vote nearly 50/50 -- separated by less than 900 votes.
An Underwood spokesperson says they are not conceding, adding in a statement: "Jim Oberweis doesn't get to call this election: the voters do. There are thousands of votes that have yet to be counted. Based on publicly available data, we remain confident that once ballots are counted, this race will reflect that the voters have reelected Congresswoman Lauren Underwood."
Oberweis is sticking to his guns and says he will focus on the economy when he is in Washington.
“It’s important that we have people in congress creating jobs…that’s what I’ve done my whole life,” Oberweis said.
The Underwood campaign says some results from mail-in ballots may not come back until November 17. The Oberweis camp says they are preparing for a possible recount if Underwood should ask for one.