Not a single Illinois lawmaker –
Democrat or Republican – who voted for a gay marriage bill lost
during Tuesday's primary.
Foes of the legislation had threatened
to make the issue part of the primary races.
Three Illinois House Republicans voted
for the legislation. State Rep. Tom Cross won his primary for state
treasurer, while state Rep. Ed Sullivan won renomination in his
district. A narrow victory for state Rep. Ron Sandack – fewer than
200 votes – could mean a recount.
According to Chicago
Business, Sandack's Downer's Grove district was flooded with
TV ads on behalf of his challenger, Keith Matune. In one flier
urging voters to vote against Sandack, an image of two men kissing is
captioned, “You can kiss the GOP goodbye with officials who vote
like Democrats – like RON SANDACK!”
Equality Illinois, the state's largest
LGBT rights advocate, called Tuesday's vote a “decisive victory”
for “Illinoisans who believe in fairness and equality.”
“Overwhelmingly, voters nominated
candidates who supported the freedom to marry last year and who will
help advance LGBT equality in the future,” Bernard Cherkasov, the
group's CEO, said in an emailed statement.
Cherkasov said his group's political
arm spent $150,000 on the primary election.