11:47 p.m.
After conceding the 9th District U.S. House race to Democrat Jan Schakowsky, Republican Joel Pollak said he was grateful to Northwestern students for their involvement on the campaign.
“The only problem is young people-speaking as a somewhat still young person- should not put so much faith in the power of incumbency,” Pollak said. “It’s time for our generation to lead, or at least make our contribution.”
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10:47 p.m.
As Republican Joel Pollak took the podium at 9:30 p.m. to announce he lost the 9th District U.S. House race to Democrat Jan Schakowsky, chants of “2012!” resonated in the crowd.
Pollak remained positive about the future despite his loss, congratulating Republican Mark Kirk on his lead in the U.S. Senate race. He also thanked the people who worked on his campaign.
“We have smashed the fundraising numbers for Republicans in this district by a 10-to-1 margin,” Pollak said.
Pollak closed his speech by saying: “There is so much more to be done. There are issues we have raised that have yet to be addressed.”
Ashley Kain, Pollak’s campaign manager, said she was most proud of the diversity of opinion of Pollak’s supporters.
“This room is very telling of how much support comes from non-Republicans,” Kain said.
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9:11 p.m.
Nearly 200 Joel Pollak supporters are gathered at the Holiday Inn at Skokie to watch as Illinois’ 9th district of the U.S. House of Representative election results are revealed. As of now, Suburban Cook County is reporting 81 percent of precincts with Pollak holding 37.23 percent of the vote. Jan Schakowsky holds 60.68 percent of the vote.
Jack Lebovitz, a volunteer for Pollak’s campaign, said he is still hopeful for the challenger.
“I think the campaign went good,” Lebovitz said. “The only skepticism I have is I hope they paid enough attention to Chicago.”
Supporters and volunteers said they are proud of how far Pollak has come.
“Three weeks ago, if he would have lost 45 to 55 percent, I would call it an absolute victory,” campaign volunteer Rafail Ogulnik said.
Pollak is expected to speak after results are released around 9 p.m.
