Democratic voters in Illinois handed the party’s nominations for five open seats in the House of Representatives to candidates that included Daniel Biss, Evanston’s mayor, and Donna Miller, the Cook county commissioner, after heated and at times bitter campaigns that saw significant spending by outside groups, most controversially the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac).
The primaries acted as a test of the style of politics voters were looking for ahead of the midterm elections in November, when Democrats hope to regain control of Congress. All five districts are heavily Democratic, making the primary victors favorites to triumph in the general elections.
