Kathy Salvi, the Mundelein attorney seen as the establishment candidate in the Republican Senate primary, led the race on Tuesday for her party’s nod to take on first-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth in the fall.
Salvi took a strong, early lead in the seven-candidate race after the polls closed, though her nearest opponent, Peggy Hubbard of Belleville, spent the night trying to close the gap. With 83% of precincts reporting, Salvi had 30.7% of the vote, to Hubbard’s 24.2%.
Also seeking the nomination were Casey Chlebek, Robert “Bobby” Piton, Jimmy Lee Tillman II, Anthony W. Williams and Matthew “Matt” Dubiel. Dubiel and Chlebek were the only other candidates breaking double-digits; Dubiel had 12.7% of the vote, and Chlebek had 10.9%.
In a video posted to Twitter a few hours before the polls closed, Salvi told her supporters she was “the only Republican who can defeat Tammy Duckworth in the fall and to usher in conservative common sense to Washington, D.C.”
Campaign manager Stephanie Hitt told the Sun-Times that Salvi “is the only solid conservative in this thing.”
“Her goal is to be a common-sense conservative and she is certainly one of the very first to admit that she’s willing to walk across the aisle with bagels and coffee if that’s what it takes,” Hitt said. “But that doesn’t mean that she’s willing to compromise. It does mean that she’s willing to engage in dialogue and persuade.”
A Salvi win would seem to buck the trend seen in the Republican race for governor, where Downstate farmer Darren Bailey was leading establishment candidate Richard Irvin.
Salvi was expected to appear at an event Tuesday night at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Lake Zurich. That’s where Lake County Commissioner Catherine Sbarra said she has confidence in Salvi’s prospects in November.
“Kathy Salvi comes from a very strong family background,” Sbarra said. “She definitely has the power to make things happen because of it.”
Salvi lost a six-way 2006 GOP primary bid for Congress. Hubbard also fell short in a bid for her party’s nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin two years ago.
A Sun-Times/WBEZ Poll earlier this month showed the race for the Republican Senate nomination wide open, with only Salvi and Hubbard registering double-digit support, at 10% each.
That poll also found 67% of the state’s GOP voters believed Donald Trump won the 2020 election, a view more in line with Piton of Geneva, who has continued to call for a “full nationwide audit” of the 2020 election and “new elections for every politician that is wrongfully in their position.”
But Salvi has also argued “one-party rule” in Springfield and Washington, D.C., “has done serious damage to Illinois families and businesses. Partisan politics and radical agendas prevail over the best interests of the people of Illinois.”
Hubbard described herself as “the Washington Elite’s worst nightmare” and as “a Navy veteran, former police officer, Harley Davidson enthusiast, and a Republican who boldly speaks the truth.”
Contributing: Allison Novelo
