Beacon Blog

Look forward to following the posts again as the election runs its course today. Getting ready to head to my Polling place in about an hour and some GOTV work later in the day.

Let's hope this all runs smooth and there's an excellent turnout from voters locally and across the 14th.

Would be interested to know which Beacon staffers will be working the election today and what assignments they have. Looking forward to some wide-spectrum coverage from the local scenes.

Best regards

CETERA REPLIES:

OK, here's the plan.

Staff writer Steve Lord will be hanging out at some polling places up north today; he will file a story on early turnout projections for the Web site this afternoon.

We plan a second mid-day update as well (although I can't remember exactly what that's supposed to be at the moment).

Tonight, staff writer Dan Campana and I will head to Bill Foster's Election Night headquarters in Aurora while staff writer Andre Salles and Dave Parro will be at Jim Oberweis' HQ in St. Charles.

Thanks for the updates, look forward to following along as the day and night roll along.

Looks like excellent coverage and good teams.

Good luck. Sounds like a lot of fun. My blog will be following along with what you're doing.

Please keep us updated, there is a lot at stake tonight...even for national GOP leaders who have directed millions of dollars to this race to avoid what would be a devastating loss.

FROM OBERWEIS HEADQUARTERS:

I'll be reporting tonight from the Q Center in St. Charles with the Oberweis camp. Right now, the local TV networks are setting up in the party room, but the place is otherwise empty. I'm the only reporter in the press room so far. That surely will change.

My polling place, Prisco Center in Aurora, was also empty when I voted at around 4 p.m. One of the election judges said turnout was down from Feb. 5. That's not suprising at all. She also said a New York Times photographer was there earlier in the day as Bill Foster came through shaking hands. All the national media will be interested in this race tonight, as a win by the Democrats could be a sign of things to come.

She also reported lots of poll watchers, which also isn't surprising considering the interest the national parties have taken in this election.

FROM FOSTER HEADQUARTERS:

I'll be reporting from Long Island Sound banquet facility in Aurora. It's pretty quiet right now, although there are certainly more media folks here than campaign folks, including a photographer from The New York Times.

There's also a wedding down the hall, and the bride asked me if she might get on TV tonight. We're all wondering if we can crash her party after this wraps up.

FROM OBERWEIS HEADQUARTERS:

Kane County has posted what looks like the early-voting totals: 3,549 for Oberweis, 2,755 for Foster. No precincts reporting, so it looks like early voting.

So, are you gonna update in comments or put up new posts?

Do you have any exit poll info or preliminary returns yet?
Thanks.

Looking forward to your reports...thanks for the effort.

Sorry Rich. We're going to post in comments. We should have made that clear

FROM OBERWEIS HEADQUARTERS:

The campaigns were definitely trying to get out the last-minute vote today. The Oberweis campaign had 300 workers going door to door today reminding voters of the Saturday election. I got at least half a dozen robocalls at my house before 2 p.m. I'll be happy when the phone stops ringing and my mailbox is no longer stuffed with campaign pieces.

Well, those early voting numbers out of Kane are just under the Primary totals from Jan/Feb. That's impressive...

Kendall is reporting a 225 vote lead for Oberweis, appears early voting numbers too.

As I sit in front of my computer waiting for the returns to trickle in, I can't help but recall how different our situation is from not long ago, before the Beacon News upgraded its services into the 21st century. We no longer must call crowded phone lines, or perhaps wait until the morning paper is delivered. No longer are we able to kid about the good old "Be Confused"; I for one am glad to compliment the Beacon on the excellent job that it does for the second largest city in Illinois!!

Kane's started to post results.

FROM OBERWEIS HEADQUARTERS:

Oberweis has a 55-45 lead with about 9,300 votes counted so far. Kane is starting to post, and DuPage is reporting a few precincts, too. The party room here is finally starting to fill up.

FROM FOSTER HQ:

Supporters are starting to arrive. Foster is not expected to arrive until more results come in. I don't get the sense that any of his campaign staff have a sense of where this is going yet.

I'd like to know what the locals thought of all the outsiders knocking on their doors and calling them on the phone pestering them to vote Foster for the last couple of weeks? aka, the rabid Democratic GOTV'ers.

FROM OBERWEIS HEADQUARTERS:

Oberweis' campaign staffers tell me he is now in the building, meeting with family and senior staff members before making a public appearance.

Votes are starting to come in everywhere, including 10 percent of the precincts in Kane. Oberweis is up 52-48 with about 15,000 votes cast.

FROM OBERWEIS HQ:

To answer George's question about exit polling, I can't find anyone who did any. The Oberweis campaign did not, nor did the GOP, according to spokesman Bill Pascoe.

With 10 of 24 pcts in Henry County - Oberweis up 62% to 38%

FROM FOSTER HQ:

A Foster staffer said he doesn't know anything about exit polls either.

Craig must have meant 15,000 votes *counted*, right? Do we know how many votes were cast altogether?

In Kendall County the Republicans were calling non-stop. Yesterday Obeweis had a "Town Hall" conference call, and we couldn't get the phone line free for 15 minutes!

So, early voting gave Dairy Man a lead. Is the trend going to Foster for ballots cast today? Is DuPage coming in higher for Foster than Kane is? Any numbers or analysis?

When you say Oberweis up 62% to 38%, do you mean in Henry County, or overall?

FROM FOSTER HQ:

Despite the early numbers, the campaign remains optimistic. A staffer told me Foster's folks had 600 volunteers on the ground while the polls.

FROM OBERWEIS HQ:

The Beacon Web site is reporting (via Sun-Times, via AP) Foster is up 54-46 with 90 precincts reporting out of 568. My spreadsheet shows Oberweis winning by four points with the same number of precicnts reporting. I'm not sure if we're counting the same numbers.

That was just for the 10 precincts in Henry. I am getting mixed numbers. All I can get now, from Kane Ober 49.5%, Foster 49.8% (80 of 223), Henry Ober 62% Foster 38& (10 of 24 pcts), DuPage Ober 50.9%, Foster 49.1% (3 of 36 pcts)

Suntimes has it 55% Foster / 45% Ober with 135 of 568 pcts, not sure where they are getting their numbers, but they are way off everybody else.

Unnoficial AP results have Foster up 15,710 to Oberweis' 13073 (55 to 45%) with 135 of 568 precincts reporting

FROM FOSTER HQ:

Foster up 67 to 33 percent in Aurora with 40 percent of the precincts reporting.

Lee Reported In:

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
Total
Number of Precincts 49
Precincts Reporting 49 100.0 %
Vote For 1
Times Counted 2774/22063 12.6 %
Total Votes 2761

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JIM OBERWEIS (REP) 1537 55.67%
BILL FOSTER (DEM) 1224 44.33%

FROM OBERWEIS HQ:

I've now got Foster up 22 votes out of more than 40,000 cast. That's with 35 percent of precicts reporting. This one's as close as everyone expected, or closer.

Obie is losing DeKalb big

http://www.dekalbcounty.org/Elections/results-1.htm

FROM FOSTER HQ:

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky has just walked in. So did State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia.

Foster's at 50 in Kane with more than half in.

FROM OBERWEIS HQ: Foster is winning 2-1 in Aurora and holds a slight lead in Kane and about 600 votes overall. But the Oberweis staffers here are optimistic that their votes are still coming in because none of the Republican western counties are reporting yet.

U.S. House - District 14 - Special General
Illinois - 235 of 568 Precincts Reporting - 41%
Name Party Votes Vote %
Foster , Bill Dem 28,322 53%
Oberweis , Jim GOP 24,693 47%

From Sun Times

Postings are out of synch with names on this blog.

Beacon and Sun-Times websites are now showing Foster over Oberweis 53% to 47% with 41 percent of precincts reporting.

Foster 53 with 41 in per Suntimes.

FROM FOSTER HQ:

The results are not being projected here, so the folks with wireless connections (i.e. the media) are extraordinarily popular right now.

Holy cow, Foster leads in Kendall with 61 of 75 in...that's amazing!

FROM FOSTER HQ:

If Foster wins, this is why --

Aurora Election Commission

Number of Precincts 74
Precincts Reporting 67 90.5%
Vote For 1
Times Counted (50,193 Voters) 9,320 18.6%

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JIM OBERWEIS (REP) 3181 34.3%
BILL FOSTER (DEM) 6100 65.7%
NO CANDIDATE

Still Foster 53%, Oberweis 47% with 55% of precincts reporting per Sun-Times.

lol Obviously no one needs wireless because I, Annon, seem to be floating seemlessly between the Oberweis and Foster locs per this blog. I seem to have it all covered.

FROM OBERWEIS HQ: The staffers here are starting to get nervous. They're looking over my shoulder every time I update my spreadsheet. Foster is up about 4,000 votes by my count and the Sun-Times/AP.

64 in with Foster still at 53.

FROM FOSTER HQ:

It looks like that bride mentioned earlier in the night could get her wish to be on TV. Shannon Martinez was interviewed by a TV reporter. When asked how it feels to share the spotlight with Bill Foster she (first looked like she had no idea who Bill Foster is) said: "It feels great. I'm on TV."

What universe do these Oberweis shills live in? I like "Antioch" who claimed he was 22 votes up when he was 4,000 down.

Times is showing 74 in now. Same numbers.

Don't pay attention to the names on this blog. They're out of synch with the postings as I said earlier.

You've got physicists all across the country watching your posting attentively. Two physicists in Congress means we outnumber the lawyers on a per capita basis.

FROM OBERWEIS HQ: I think this thing's over. With 75 percent of precincts reporting, Foster is up 53-47. It's going to be tough to catch up, and the mood here has turned sour.

FROM FOSTER HQ:

Supporters have apparently found an Internet connection and are starting to cheer here.

Sorry, Antioch- I just figured out it was Parro claiming Oberweis was within 22 votes at 35% in. Suuuuuuuuuuure he was.

The name *below* the post is the name of the person who made that post

This one is done - I'm headed to Oberweis Ice Cream to celebrate BILL FOSTER'S victory with a nice ice cream sundae. I wonder what office Jim Oberweis will begin campaigning for in December...

Game over, unless the rest of Kane votes 60%+ for Obe.

Foster's 6% lead holding fast with 79% of precincts reporting.

FROM FOSTER HQ:

Mark Guethle, head of the Kane County Democratic Party:

Talking about the impact of Foster on Kane County, he says "People vote on candidates not the party," an attempt to dispell the notion that Kane is a Republican county.

Oh...lol. Thanks for explaining that. I thought it might have been the physicists at work.