Jehan Gordon wins in 92nd

My post about the 92nd Illinois House Democratic primary in Peoria attracted a lot of attention to this blog, including many google searches for Jehan Gordon, so I thought I should write about Gordon's victory.

Most people from the area I spoke to thought Allen Mayer was going to win so I'm a little surprised by the upset. Any primary with an unusually large turn out always brings surprises, just as we saw in the 19th Congressional district.

The Peoria Journal Star article about Gordon's victory mentions recent embarrassing revelations about her including the fact that she's two credits short of her college degree (where have I heard that before?) and that she was convicted of shoplifting at age 18. Obviously that doesn't help her but it doesn't sound like anything devastating that she can't overcome. Heck, Aldermen in Chicago have gotten re-elected after being acquitted for corruption in office, so this is pretty small potatoes by comparison.

The Republican candidate dropped out and no replacement has been named. There's a good chance that a Democrat will replace Aaron Schock in the state legislature.

As I wrote in my other post, I was impressed by both Mayer and Gordon. I suspect Mayer will run for another office in the future and be elected.

Gordon is an energetic, smart and enthusiastic candidate. And there's something I like about the possibility of having a young black woman from downstate in the legislature.

Added Bonus: Closer to the ground, Peoria Pundit gives his take on how the upset happened.