U.S. House Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) won the congressional seat for Illinois’ 9th District with 70.5% of the vote and 87% of the vote in, securing her seat for the 13th consecutive election. 

Her Republican challenger, Max Rice, secured 29.5% of the vote.

Schakowsky told The Daily she is elated about her win. Her happiness was compounded, she said, by many Democrat wins across the state, including Illinois House Reps. Nikki Budzinski, Lauren Underwood, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Supreme Court Judge Elizabeth Rochford. 

“There were a lot of predictions about Republicans winning, about a red wave,” Schakowsky said. “That is just simply not happening, and I think there’s still a real possibility of the House staying in Democratic hands and the Senate picking up enough seats to have a greater majority.” 

Schakowsky has been in the role since 1999, and prior to that, spent eight years in the Illinois General Assembly. She campaigned on protecting women’s reproductive rights, preventing gun violence and protecting senior citizens’ access to social security, Medicare and Medicaid. 

Within the 9th district –– which includes Evanston, Skokie and other northern Chicago suburbs –– Schakowsky took 75% of the Cook County vote and 51% of the McHenry County vote and 53% of the Lake County vote. 

Schakowsky currently serves as the senior chief deputy whip and as a member of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, House Budget Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee in the United States House. 

Rice — a “Republican in philosophy,” according to his website — promised to practice nonpartisan governing. He said would disown his affiliation with the Republican party if elected, though he ran as an unopposed Republican in the party’s primary. 

FiveThirtyEight gave Schakowsky a 99% chance of winning the seat. In 2021, she took 71% of the vote. 

Schakowsky said after her victory at 10:05 p.m. that she would spend the rest of her night watching races across the country, hoping to see a Democrat majority sweep the nation. She said it could mean the most progressive and transformative congressional session in history addressing reproductive rights, gun violence and affordable healthcare. 

“If we do keep the House and Senate, then right away, we could actually undo the Dobbs (v. Jackson) decision and make sure that in the United States of America, reproductive rights that abortion rights are protected,” Schakowsky said. 

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Twitter: @shannonmtyler

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