Demmer wins by wide margin in 90th
Dixon Republican vows transparency, integrity in office
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| Tom Demmer (left) and his campaign manager, Jason Anderson, look over early numbers Tuesday. The GOP's Demmer handily defeated Tom Boken Jr. of DeKalb in the race for the state's 90th House district. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com) |
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DIXON – Tom Demmer didn’t know what to expect Tuesday, but he had a good feeling.
As the results came in to Republican headquarters in downtown Dixon, the numbers showed he had every reason to feel that way.
Demmer defeated Democratic challenger Tom Boken Jr. of DeKalb in the newly constructed 90th House District by garnering 62.2 percent of votes.
In unofficial results, Demmer tabulated 27,025 votes to Boken’s 16,429 in Lee, Ogle, LaSalle and DeKalb counties.
The seat is being vacated by Rep. Jerry Mitchell, R-Sterling, who is retiring after 18 years, and who endorsed Demmer as his replacement.
The 26-year-old was heavily favored in the district, considered friendly Republican terrain. The district featured a contested Republican primary between four candidates, and no candidates in the Democratic primary.
“It’s been nice to see 14 months all come together,” said Demmer, who celebrated the victory at the headquarters. “I promise to represent the 90th District with integrity, honesty and transparency.”
Demmer, who is KSB Hospital’s director of marketing and strategic planning and a Lee County board member, said he will not be intimidated by his age.
“I’ve been dealing with that my entire campaign,” Demmer said. “I’m going to stand for what I believe in, and it doesn’t matter what my age is.”
Boken, 45, a civil service employee for Northern Illinois University, did not return a phone call for comment.
