2024 Election results: Voters decide in Illinois primary races

Many people in the Chicago area were using their vote in Tuesday's primary election to protest against the war in Gaza.

It's a nationwide movement that reached the city. Some voters protesting President Joe Biden's refusal to call for a permanent ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas wrote in "Gaza" as their chosen presidential candidate on the Democratic primary ballot.

2024 Democratic primary:

• 297,217 ballots were cast in the Democratic primary.
• 254,402 voted for one of the 4 candidates, including Biden.
• 42,815 cast ballots, but not for one of those 4, indicating no votes or protest write-in votes. It is impossible to determine how many of those were Gaza protest votes, but the overall number is much higher than in the 2020 primary. 

2020 Democratic primary:

• 554,421 casted ballots.
• 542,347 voted for one of the 11 candidates, including Biden.
• 12,074 cast ballots, but not for any of those, indicating no votes or write-ins.

The race for the Democratic nomination to be the next Cook County State's Attorney was too close to call late Tuesday night, with retired Illinois Appellate Court Judge Eileen O'Neill Burke holding a narrow lead over University of Chicago lecturer Clayton Harris III.

As of 9:45 p.m., O'Neill Burke was leading Harris by approximately a margin of 51% to 49%, a lead of about 12,000 votes, with more than 463,000 votes counted so far.

Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesman Max Bever said there were nearly 110,000 outstanding mail ballots that had yet to be returned to the board as of Tuesday night. Officials expect 80% to 85% of those ballots to arrive back properly postmarked by Election Day, so 70,000 to 80,000 valid mail ballots could come back in the next couple weeks, most of them by Friday, allowing for a clearer picture of how the race will turn out in the coming days.

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Chicago voters on Tuesday appeared poised to reject a bid by Mayor Brandon Johnson and his progressive allies on the City Council to raise taxes on the sales of million-dollar properties to help fund efforts to fight homelessness.

With the vast majority of the vote counted as of 9:15 p.m., 54% of Chicago voters had voted no on the so-called Bring Chicago Home referendum, which Johnson had campaigned on during his successful run for mayor in 2023. 

However, the Bring Chicago Home coalition supporting the referendum was not ready to concede defeat.

"While tonight's election results are disappointing, we are nowhere near the end of our journey," the coalition said in a statement, noting more than 100,000 mail-in ballots have yet to be returned to the city's election board. 

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U.S. Rep. Sean Casten easily won a three-way primary for his district, which spans across west and southwest suburban communities from Elmhurst and Villa Park to Orland Hills and Tinley Park. With 68 percent of votes counted, Casten had won 77.4 percent of the vote – compared with 13.5 percent and 9.1 percent, respectively, for challengers Mahnoor Ahmad and Charles Hughes.

In the general election, Casten will face Republican Niki Conforti, who ran unopposed.

In the 11th Congressional District, which stretches from Wauconda west to Belvidere on north, and then south and southeast to include parts of Aurora, Naperville, Bolingbrook, and Lemont, incumbent U.S. Rep. Bill Foster won the Democratic primary – with 77.7 percent of the vote up against 22.3 percent for challenger Qasim Rashid.

Republican Jerry Evans was ahead in the Republican primary for the 11th District late Tuesday, with 50 percent of the vote, compared with 37.3 percent for Susan Hathaway-Altman and 12.8 percent for Kent Mercado.

In the 12th District – a conservative downstate district that covers the southernmost part of Illinois, incumbent Rep. Mike Bost is facing former Illinois state senator and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey in the Republican primary. Bost was ahead 53.7 percent compared to 46.3 percent for Bailey as of late Tuesday night, but the race had not been called.

Democrat Brian Roberts was ahead in the 12th District Democratic primary, with 60.5 percent compared with 39.5 percent for Preston Nelson.

U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia talked about his priorities for when he returns to Congress for a fourth term after easily fending off a primary challenge from Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez in the Democratic primary.

Garcia spoke to CBS 2 about tackling issues like making everyday items and healthcare more affordable and how the federal government can tackle the ongoing migrant crisis that has put a strain on city resources in Chicago and other big cities around the country.

After winning the Democratic primary for the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk's office Tuesday night, Mariyana Spyropoulos said the office in the past has not taken seriously enough even by those who have held it – and it is time for that to change.

"The Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court does not attract intense news coverage – despite what you see here tonight. It doesn't attract Super PAC support, or thousands of online donors. For years, aspirants to this office viewed it as a steppingstone to higher office, or as a ripe opportunity to build a patronage army," Spyropoulos said to a packed room with the news media all present. "It's not easy to convince volunteers and donors that this office matters to them. I'm here to tell you that it does matter. It matters to defendants, victims, attorneys, public defenders, prosecutors – all of whom have a vested interest in seeing our system run effectively."

In remarks to supporters, Garcia touted his support for a litany of progressive priorities from gun control to immigration reform to protecting abortion rights.

"Tonight, we showed everyone across the country paying close attention to this race that hate and the right-wing attempt to hijack our movement will not succeed," Garcia said.

The Chicago political veteran defeated a Democratic primary challenge from Ald. Raymond Lopez in Tuesday's election.

Speaking to CBS 2 Tuesday night after declaring victory, Davis paraphrased the classic James Brown song "I Got You (I Feel Good)." He also explained that when he said in victory speech that "we should not count seniors out," he did not only mean himself.

"I meant that people should not count individuals who have been fortunate enough to live long enough to reach senior status – and I really was making reference to President Biden; that I can win here, President Biden can win in the United States," Davis said. "And it's difficult for me to understand why some people will not give him credit for the tremendous leadership he has provided; for what we've been able to accomplish."

Davis outlined a list of accomplishments for which he believes President Joe Biden deserves credit.

"We look at the status of the economy in our country – we're the top economy in the world. We've made more progress than any other country after the pandemic. Unemployment is around and under 4 percent, and has been that way now for more than two years straight, and we survived the pandemic – I mean, we lost a lot of lives, but our health care institutions and our plans worked. We got some great breakthroughs coming. We're right on the verge of having a cure for sickle cell anemia," he said. "And yet, the situation is such that many people are just finding it reluctant to give the president the credit he is due for the way he has handled the country for the last three years."

Former Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board President Mariyana Spyropoulos defeated incumbent Iris Martinez in the primary for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk on Tuesday.

Spyropoulos, who was elected to the MWRD Board in 2010 and served as its president from 2015 until 2019, mounted a campaign for Circuit Court Clerk focused on fighting corruption and misconduct, digitizing systems and cutting, costs, and bringing court sin into communities.

The Circuit Court Clerk is responsible for maintaining all Cook County court records, and collecting court fees and fines. The clerk works with more than 400 judges on cases that originate in Chicago and suburban Cook County.

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U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia defeated a Democratic primary challenge from Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) in the race to represent the 4th Congressional District in Tuesday's election, the Associated Press projected.

Garcia is the incumbent representative in Illinois' 4th Congressional District that borders Burbank and Midway Airport to the south, Halsted Street to the east, Oak Brook to the west, and just shy of O'Hare International Airport into Franklin Park to the north. Garcia was first elected to Congress in 2018.

Lopez was considered a more moderate Democrat. He helped lead the failed effort to end Chicago's sanctuary city status and has served on the City Council since 2015.

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Longtime U.S. Rep. Danny Davis was projected to defeat four challengers in his re-election bid in Tuesday's primary election. With 60% of the votes counted, Davis was leading a five-way race with 52.2% of the vote. 

Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin was in second place with 21.1% of the vote, community activist Kina Collins was in third place with 19.1% of the vote, teacher and principal Nikhil Bhatia was in fourth place with 5% of the vote, and Kouri Marshall, who worked for Gov. JB Pritzker, was in fifth place with 2.6%.

"It's a reaffirmation that when people have courage, when people have relationships, when people are willing to work – and work across racial, ethnic, and party lines – that people work for the good of the hood," said Davis.

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Former U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Illinois) told CBS 2 on Tuesday night that the GOP brand is "pretty strong" nationwide – with former President Trump leading in the battleground states and a likely chance to take the U.S. Senate in November. He was also optimistic about the GOP's chances of keeping the U.S. House.

But in Illinois, Davis said, there is "a lot of work to do." He specifically criticized 2022 Illinois gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey.

"We had the worst gubernatorial candidate on the GOP side that I've ever witnessed in my lifetime last time in Darren Bailey," Davis said, "and I think he set us back at the local level and state level in Illinois more than anyone else could."

Davis also discussed the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection and his having served on the Jan. 6 Committee in Congress. He dismissed the idea that those tried and convicted for their role in the riot should be considered hostages and should be released, as former President Trump has said.

"I don't agree with that at all," he said. "I think they're idiots. I think they broke the law."

He would not address whom he would be voting for – though he did echo a common complaint that the same two candidates from 2020 are facing off again.

"I never answer who I'm going to vote for when someone asks me. It's a pretty binary choice between President Trump and President Biden," he said. "I liked governing with President Trump. We got a lot of things done together. But also, I like Joe Biden personally. But he's been a disaster with reconciling things on the border, and he's been a disaster with things like Afghanistan."

Warnings of "shockingly low" turnout in Chicago appear to be coming true, with unofficial turnout barely topping 20% as polls closed on Tuesday. While that should increase as more mail ballots come in, it's still far below past presidential elections.

Turnout for the 2020 presidential primary was 37.78%, and turnout for the 2016 presidential primary was 53.52% turnout in the 2016 primary.  

Here is the latest data from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners:

343,639 total ballots cast (includes early voting and vote by mail)

1,697,498 (active + inactive, my apologies) registered voters in Chicago

20.24% citywide turnout so far

1,509,554 active registered voters in Chicago

Ballots Cast By Age Group:

17 -24: 12,160 ballots cast – 3.53%

25-34: 47,000 ballots cast – 13.67%

35-44: 49,221 ballots cast – 14.32%

45-54: 50,155 ballots cast – 14.59%

55-64: 66,653 ballots cast – 19.40%

65-74: 70,181 ballots cast – 20.42%

75+: 48,269 ballots cast – 14.04%

Ballots Cast Per Hour:

6:00am-7:00am: 3,043 ballots cast

7:00am-8:00am: 5,031 ballots cast

8:00am-9:00am: 9,196 ballots cast

9:00am-10:00am: 9,143 ballots cast

10:00am-11:00am: 9,974 ballots cast

11:00am-12:00pm: 11,505 ballots cast

12:00pm-1:00pm: 11,994 ballots cast

1:00pm-2:00pm: 12,393 ballots cast

2:00pm-3:00pm: 12,368 ballots cast

3:00pm-4:00pm 14,214 ballots cast

4:00pm-5:00pm: 19,242 ballots cast

5:00pm-6:00pm: 23,510 ballots cast

6:00pm-7:00pm: 23,676 ballots cast

(164,757 Election Day ballots cast – unofficial results)

Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar on Tuesday night said he thought former President Donald Trump "the biggest disaster we've ever had in American government," yet still has a good chance of winning the general election for a nonconsecutive second term in November.

Speaking to CBS 2's Joe Donlon and Irika Sargent, Edgar – a Republican who served two terms from 1991 until 1999 – said turnout will be the key in the general election, and President Joe Biden is facing many voters who turned out for him in 2020 not being enthusiastic for him four years later.

"President Biden doesn't have any room for error," Edgar said. "He's got to keep those groups in."

Edgar said Mr. Biden is placed at risk by issues as Arab American and Muslim voters in Michigan who object to President Biden's handling of the war in Gaza. A total of 101,000 Michigan voters chose "uncommitted" on their ballots rather than vote for Mr. Biden in that state's Democratic primary.

Edgar said Mr. Trump, by contrast, has a certain number of votes locked in no matter what he does – up to and including possibly getting convicted in one of his criminal cases.

"Trump has a very loyal base that will be there, and they're going to have to have the same kind of loyalty on the Democratic side," Edgar said.

However, Edgar categorically said he would not support former President Trump.

"Absolutely not. I agree with Mitt Romney," Edgar said. "There's times you've got to put party labels beside what's best for the nation."

Edgar also said the Republican primary has changed dramatically since he was serving as governor – and noted that a turn to the right for Illinois Republicans means a narrower appeal for them among voters.

"I think nationwide, it's not the Republican party I was involved in. Trump is not what I would consider a Republican," Edgar said. "This is not the Republican of Eisenhower, Bush, or Reagan. I mean, he's just a different kind of person."

The Illinois Republican Party has not moved as far to the right as the GOP in most other states – but still, it has moved far enough to the right that Edgar said he would have a hard time winning a GOP primary in Illinois if he ran now.

However, he added that Illinois Republicans have also moved too far right to prevail with more centrist voters, such as those in the suburbs. Edgar noted that when he ran for a second term in 1994, he even carried heavily Democratic Cook County.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their party's primaries in Illinois on Tuesday, notching more delegates as they continue their march to a rematch in this November's presidential election. Both men already had secured enough delegates before Tuesday to be their party's respective nominees, setting up a rematch of the 2020 election.

See results here

After nearly 500 equipment issue complaints in the first hour polls were open in Chicago, reported problems have been dropping off steadily, according to data from the city's election board.

Some of the complaints include an allegation of a voter touching a student at the polling place at Burroughs School, a complaint that a person claiming to be a Trump delegate wasn't on the ballot at the Smith Village polling place, and a complaint that an election judge at the Nettelhorst School polling place was handing out flyers urging voters to approve the Bring Chicago Home real estate transfer tax referendum.

CBS 2 will continue tracking polling place issues throughout the day. You can find more here:

A big question on Tuesday's ballot asks Chicago voters to approve increasing the city's real estate transfer tax on the sale of million-dollar properties to raise tax revenue to help fight homelessness. 

But, even if voters say yes, the vote might not be the end of the fight.

While the presidential nominations are all set, there is still a lot on the line in the 2024 primary elections in Illinois. 

One of the more prominent races is the contest for the Democratic nomination in the race for Cook County State's Attorney, where the more progressive candidate, Clayton Harris III, is running on a platform of furthering much of Foxx's work while the more moderate candidate, Eileen O'Neill Burke, is saying it's time for change.

Chicago continues to see sluggish turnout in Tuesday's primary elections. As of 5 p.m., a total of 287,621 ballots have been cast, including early voting, voting by mail, and Election Day voting. 

That's good for 16.94% turnout, well behind the last presidential primary election in 2020, which saw a total turnout of 37.78%, and even further behind the 53.52% turnout in the 2016 primary.

A spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners has said "we're looking at a shockingly low turnout" this year.

Ballots Cast By Age Group:

17 -24: 8,987 ballots cast – 3.12%

25-34: 35,094 ballots cast – 12.20%

35-44: 38,530 ballots cast – 13.40%

45-54: 39,382 ballots cast – 13.69%

55-64: 55,811 ballots cast – 19.40%

65-74: 64,084 ballots cast – 22.28%

75+: 45,733 ballots cast – 15.90%

Ballots Cast Per Hour:

6:00am-7:00am: 3,043 ballots cast

7:00am-8:00am: 5,031 ballots cast

8:00am-9:00am: 9,196 ballots cast

9:00am-10:00am: 9,143 ballots cast

10:00am-11:00am: 9,974 ballots cast

11:00am-12:00pm: 11,505 ballots cast

12:00pm-1:00pm: 11,994 ballots cast

1:00pm-2:00pm: 12,393 ballots cast

2:00pm-3:00pm: 12,368 ballots cast

3:00pm-4:00pm 14,214 ballots cast

4:00pm-5:00pm: 19,242 ballots cast

(118,103 Election Day ballots cast so far)

Political upstart Kina Collins has run twice for Congress against Rep. Danny Davis and has lost both times.

Most recently, she lost 46 percent to Davis' 52 percent in 2022 – the closest race Davis has faced in a primary.

Collins hopes her appeal as a new face to voters – specifically to younger voters – will help get her over the threshold of victory, and then lead to victory in November and head her to Washington.

Meanwhile, Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is in her second term in her current role. She hopes name recognition, her history as a working mom, and her status as what she calls a "money expert" will be enough to motivate voters to come out and go for her.

In addition to name recognition, Conyears-Ervin is running with a lot more funding than Collins.

Conyears-Ervin also hopes voters will show up for her an ongoing ethics investigation that she used city dollars for her own private benefit.

Cameras were present as Collins and Conyears-Ervin each cast their own ballots Tuesday.

Davis has served 14 terms in Congress.

The Democratic primary race for Illinois 7th Congressional District is up for grabs – as longtime U.S. Rep. Danny Davis facing a serious challenge from several candidates.

Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and political upstart Kina Collins are among the challengers.

CBS 2 cameras snagged some video Tuesday morning as Davis arrived to cast his ballot on the city's West Side. He wore a "Green New Deal" hat, and stopped to shake some hands and even gave out a hug.

Davis has served 14 terms in The U.S. House going back to 1996.

The congressman's opponents say he has held his position for too long – and they are not shy about pointing out his age. Davis is 82 years old.

Davis' campaign staff spins it a different way. They say he is a seasoned pro, and his seniority in Congress should matter to voters.

Many people in the Chicago area were using their vote in Tuesday's primary election as a form of protest against the war in Gaza.

It's part of a nationwide movement reaching the city, as some voters protest President Joe Biden's refusal to call for a permanent ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas by writing in "Gaza" as their chosen presidential candidate on the Democratic primary ballot.

Cook County has the largest Palestinian-American population of any county in the country, with more than 18,000 people. Many of them and their allies said this is the latest way they're trying to get their message heard.

It's a protest against Biden's position on Israel's actions in Gaza – where more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

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U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia is hoping to return to Washington representing the 4th Congressional District, which spans from Chicago to the western suburbs, while Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez is trying to unseat him. CBS 2's Marybel Gonzalez will be covering the results from the Democratic primary.

 U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia accused the campaign of his Democratic primary opponent, Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th), of handing out money, coffee, and donuts to election judges.

Garcia's campaign said in a statement on Tuesday that poll watchers in the 15th Ward saw Lopez's campaign "providing judges with coffee, doughnuts, and envelopes containing cash and a special thank you not from the Alderman himself." In one instance, the Garcia campaign said, a Lopez campaign worker tried to hand an envelope to a poll watcher, believing they were a judge.

For his part, Lopez said on social media that Garcia's campaign filed a complaint against him regarding his providing donuts and coffee to election judges.

"I wish Chuy respected workers the way he says he does," Lopez said in a post on X. "He could have brought the conchas!"

In a longer statement, Lopez called the allegation "baseless" and said Garcia was trying to "smear" him. He said as the 15th Ward committeeman of the Cook County Democratic Party, providing election judges with food and beverages is a "longstanding tradition," citing a statement from the Board of Elections.

Voter turnout so far in Chicago has been very low compared to past presidential elections.

"It sure looks like we're looking at a shockingly low turnout for Election Day," Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesman Max Bever said. "We're seeing a pretty sleepy turnout for Election Day."

Bever said turnout so far for the 2024 Illinois primaries has not only been far lower than past presidential cycles, but is even lower than past midterm elections, or even the municipal elections in 2023, when 35% of registered voters cast ballot in the first round of voting, and turnout was 38% during the April runoff elections.

As of 1 p.m., a total of 131,048 ballots had been cast, between Election Day voting, early voting, and vote by mail in Chicago, compared to a total of 190,088 votes cast just by early voting and vote by mail by two days before the 2020 presidential primary in Illinois, a drop of more than 30%.

Bever said election authorities hope for a boost in turnout during lunchtime, and between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., when many voters typically vote on their way home from work.

CBS 2 Digital Producer Elyssa Kaufman spotted a long line of voters up and down the block outside of The Loop supersite early Tuesday afternoon.

The downtown supersite is located at 191 North Clark St. and is open until polls close at 7 p.m.

As of noon, 207,339 total ballots have been cast, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. 

This brings the citywide turnout to about 12%. 

The majority of voters are 65+ so far. 

Getting ready to vote? 

The Illinois Sate Board of Elections has a tool to find your polling place on its website. You'll need to enter your five-digit zip code, street number, and street name. 

CBS News Chicago also has you covered if you need to know how to register to vote, how to vote, what's on the ballot, what to bring to vote and more. Races include the Democratic and Republican primaries for president, Congress, Cook County State's Attorney, Illinois House seats, Illinois Senate seats, and more

As of 9 a.m., over 176,000 ballots have been cast in Chicago. This is over 10% citywide turnout so far with 1,697,498 registered voters in Chicago. 

According to the Chicago Board of Elections, voters 65+ are driving election turnout. 

Check back for updates.   

Just an hour ago, Mayor Brandon Johnson cast his vote at his neighborhood polling place in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.

The mayor will be watching the returns closely because as a mayoral candidate, and since taking office, he's been a strong supporter of the Bring Chicago Home referendum. This is a controversial tax referendum on the ballot in Chicago, asking whether the City Council should be allowed to increase the taxes on the sales of million-dollar properties to help fight homelessness.

You can learn more about the Bring Chicago Home tax referendum here. 

So far, morning polling places have submitted nearly 500 equipment issue complaints, but nearly half of the equipment issues have been resolved, according to data from the Board of Elections. 

The issues that have not been resolved are minor printer issues. 

CBS 2 will continue tracking polling place issues throughout the day. You can find more here:

Polling places across Illinois are officially open.

Polls close at 7 p.m. in the Chicago area. Anyone already in line when polls close will be allowed to vote.

Occasionally, due to voting equipment problems or other issues, some polling places are not able to open as scheduled at 6 a.m. If that prevents someone from voting at a polling place, election officials can ask a judge to order the polling location to stay open later than 7 p.m., to allow more time for voters who tried to vote in the morning to come back later to cast their ballots.

How to find your Illinois voting location

The Illinois Sate Board of Elections has a tool to find your polling place on its website. You'll need to enter your five-digit zip code, street number, and street name. 

One of the big races to watch is Illinois' 7th Congressional District. Congressman Danny Davis, who holds the seat, is being challenged by several candidates saying the South and West sides need a fresh face and a fresh start to bring fresh dollars and ideas to struggling neighborhoods.

CBS 2 started by asking Davis about Americans' abysmal approval ratings of Congress today.

"I think it's a tough time to be a public official," he said. 

Davis has been one for 45 years. If he wins re-election, he will have secured 30 years in the House of Representatives.

His 7th Congressional District is almost in the shape of a seven, with Westchester to the west, the Loop to the east, and Englewood to the south.

And from all directions, he has challengers.

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Voters on Tuesday will get their say on a controversial tax referendum on the ballot in Chicago, asking whether the City Council should be allowed to increase the taxes on the sales of million-dollar properties to help fight homelessness.

Real estate and business groups spent weeks fighting to block the ballot question, claiming it is unconstitutional, but lost their court battle when the Illinois Supreme Court declined to take up a lower court ruling in favor of the referendum.

The Bring Chicago Home referendum is a signature initiative of Mayor Brandon Johnson and his progressive allies in their bid to increase funding for efforts to fight homelessness.

The measure asks voters to authorize the City Council to increase the real estate transfer tax on the sales of properties for $1 million or more in Chicago, while lowering the tax rate for less expensive properties:

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Kim Foxx is stepping down from her post as Cook County State's Attorney. Four people are running to replace her: one Republican, one Libertarian, and two Democrats. 

The winner of the Democratic primary taking place a week from Tuesday is widely expected to win the seat come November. 

The two Democrats vying to replace Kim Foxx atop the second-largest prosecutor's office in the country give the outgoing state's attorney vastly different grades. 

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One of the most closely watched contests in the Illinois primary election is the Democratic race in the state's 4th congressional district.

U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia is the incumbent and is running for a fourth term. Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) is Garcia's only challenger.

Americans' approval ratings for the job being done by Congress is terrible. On that, Garcia and Lopez agree.

"This is a do-nothing Congress," Garcia said.

"I think you have to be willing to advocate for what matters most," Lopez said.

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Melissa Conyears-Ervin is running for a new job as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

However, there are ongoing questions about her current role as the City of Chicago Treasurer.

Last year, two former employees of Conyears-Ervin's received a $100,000 settlement after being fired. They complained they were asked to run personal errands.

The Board Of Ethics continues to investigate the matter.  A campaign spokesperson told CBS2:  "At this point, any findings from the Board are preliminary, and the Treasurer has a right to address those findings through a confidential process. She is availing herself of that right."

Determination of what – if any -- fine she may have to pay is still being worked out.

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