AP projects Delia Ramirez winner in 3rd Congressional District race over Justin Burau
CHICAGO (CBS) – The AP has projected Democratic Illinois State Rep. Delia Ramirez as the winner in the race for the open 3rd Congressional District seat over Republican Justin Burau in an open seat.
With 69% of the vote in, Ramirez held a 65% to 34% lead over Burau.
State lawmakers redrew the 3rd District to create the state's second district likely to elect a Latino to Congress, to capitalize on the group's growing population in Chicago. While not quite a Latino majority district, approximately 44% of the 3rd District's voting age population is Latino. The new district stretches from the Northwest Side of Chicago to the far western suburbs like Wheaton and West Chicago.
In the June primary, Ramirez defeated Chicago Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) and two other candidates for the Democratic nomination.
Burau was unopposed in the GOP primary.
Ramirez first joined the Illinois House of Representatives in 2018 and was the first Guatemalan American to serve in the General Assembly, according to her General Assembly biography. Her district includes parts of Hermosa, Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Wicker Park, and Ukrainian Village neighborhoods.
Burau, a Winfield native, began his career in business, started a food delivery service with his brother and eventually became a real estate broker.
Ramirez has aligned herself with progressive causes and touted endorsements from union and climate organizations. Like other Democrats, she's also centered the rollback of abortion rights in her campaign messages after the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade, which ended the national right to access the procedure.
In a social media post about her endorsement from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Ramirez said, "Reproductive rights are under attack. We need leaders in Congress ready to defend and protect our bodily autonomy."
Burau has tried to paint Ramirez's progressive views as extreme.
"I think the majority of Americans are tired of the far left and the far right," he said in a campaign video. "There's no place for it. I represent the silent majority. It's why it's so concerning to see my opponent align herself with the far left."
Still, Burau has a tall task ahead. An analysis by the Daily Kos shows President Joe Biden won the new district over Donald Trump in 2020 by a 69% to 28% margin.