Chicago Area Leaders React After Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Projected To Defeat President Donald Trump, VP Mike Pence

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Elected leaders across the Chicago area took to social media on Saturday, after former president Joe Biden was projected the winner in the race for president.

CBS News and other news outlets projected late Saturday morning that Biden and running mate Kamala Harris were projected to win Pennsylvania and Nevada, giving them 279 electoral votes, enough to clinch the White House, defeating President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

Gov. JB Pritzker said "America elected a President and Vice President who will lead with compassion, restore dignity to the office, and give us hope for a brighter future."

In a statement posted on his social media pages, Former President Barack Obama said he "couldn't be prouder" of Biden and Harris for their "historic and decisive victory," which makes Harris the first woman, first African American, and first Indian American to be elected vice president.

"We're fortunate that Joe's got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way. Because when he walks into the White House in January, he'll face a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming President ever has – a raging pandemic, an unequal economy and justice system, a democracy at risk, and a climate in peril," Obama wrote.

"I know he'll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote. So I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support. The election results at every level show that the country remains deeply and bitterly divided. It will be up to not just Joe and Kamala, but each of us, to do our part – to reach out beyond our comfort zone, to listen to others, to lower the temperature and find some common ground from which to move forward, all of us remembering that we are one nation, under God," he added.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted, "Heartfelt congratulations to President-Elect @JoeBiden, Vice President-Elect @KamalaHarris and their entire team for a passionate, hard-fought and historic campaign drawn from our highest values as a nation."

"Chicago is excited to work together in tackling the many challenges we face in rebuilding our communities, recovering from the COVID-19 crisis, addressing climate change, and becoming stronger and more resilient than we have ever been. Let's get to work!" she added.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who easily won a fifth term in office on Tuesday, wrote, "Congratulations to our next President and Vice President,
@JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris ! It's a new day for this country—and we need your leadership more than ever. Now, the work begins. Together, we're going to get America back on track."

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth tweeted, ".@JoeBiden will be a President for ALL Americans who will get us out of this pandemic and help us build back better. It's time to get to work."

U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley wrote, "Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris! The American people have spoken and I look forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to improve the lives of all Americans."

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, a first-term congresswoman who won in a traditionally Republican district in 2018, tweeted "We knew that when every voice was heard, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris would come out on top. Congratulations Mr. President-elect and Madam VP-elect! Let's get to work."

Underwood herself is still in a tight race against Republican challenger Jim Oberweis, trailing by only a few hundred votes with thousands of mail-in ballots yet to be counted.

While most Illinois Republican officials were silent on Biden's apparent win, U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of the few House Republicans to frequently criticize Trump's behavior over the last four years, congratulated Biden and Harris on Twitter, calling for Democrats and Republicans to "work together when possible, and compete honorably when not."

In:
• Joe Biden
• Dick Durbin
• Donald Trump