Gabel Re-Elected, Defeats Lieberman in 18th State House District

FINAL UPDATE AT 11:10 p.m.:

With 82 of 84 precincts reporting and Robyn Gabel still holding a sizable lead, Eric Lieberman has conceded the race.

Gabel could not be reached for comment at the time of publication, as she left her own Evanston-based election party to join President Barack Obama's supporters at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Gabel's campaign manager, Josh Kilroy, said that Gabel and the campaign staff had worked hard to connect with the district's new voters.

“We worked very hard to reach out to all the voters," Kilroy said, "about 30 to 35 percent of whom were new to the district. We’re very gratified to see that the voters responded to her message.”

Lieberman said he was proud of the campaign he ran, despite the results.

"I saw that Robyn Gabel will be returning to Springfield," Lieberaman said. "I’m not surprised by the results. I’m proud of what I did. I think that I gave people an option. It would not have been an election without candidates, and I think I exposed some critical issues that Springfield will have to address. I’m disappointed they’ve chosen to address it with the same people who created it.”

As of 11:10 p.m., Gabel held 62.41% of the reported votes and lead Lieberman by over 12,000 votes.

RESULTS (UPDATED AS THEY COME IN TUESDAY NIGHT):

UPDATED AT 9:21 p.m.:

A few more precincts reported, a few thousand more votes came in, and Gabel has widened her lead to 24 points. She currently holds 62 percent of the vote.

UPDATED AT 8:48 p.m.:

Gabel is keeping a strong advantage of nearly 22 percentage points.

UPDATED AT 8:23 p.m.:

Gabel's lead continues to grow, as she now has 63.8 percent of the vote with 20 precincts left to report.

UPDATED AT 8:06 p.m.:

With only 54 out of 84 precincts reporting, Gabel has stretched her lead, taking 61.6 percent of the vote so far.

UPDATED AT 7:49 p.m.:

Gabel holds her lead, though it dropped to 15 percent, with 30 of 84 precincts reporting.

UPDATED AT 7:43 p.m.:

That changed quickly. With 16 of 84 precincts reporting, Gabel now holds a 25 point lead.

UPDATED AT 7:38 p.m.:

With 6 of 84 precincts reporting, Lieberman has jumped out to an early lead with an 11 point edge over Gabel.

EARLIER:

The race for Illinois' 18th State Representative pins incumbent Democrat Robyn Gabel against Republican challenger Eric Lieberman.

Patch will be updating election results on this page throughout the evening.

GO BACK TO THE ILLINOIS ELECTION CENTRAL

ABOUT THE 18TH DISTRICT ILLINOIS HOUSE RACE:

Gabel has represented the 18th House District in the Illinois General Assembly for two years since she won the seat running unopposed in the 2010 general election. The Evanston resident campaigned on the platform of creating jobs (through international trade, innovation and manufacturing), making tough yet intelligent budget cuts, building the state's green energy profile and providing better access to higher education for Illinois children.

Lieberman, who has worked as a reporter, a lawyer and CEO of a Wisconsin-based software company, bases his candidacy on what he calls the “four essential T’s”: truth, transparency, take action and tax reform. Lieberman, who also lives in Evanston, said he wants to root out corruption from state government, increase transparency of government spending, encourage Illinois residents to be more entrepreneurial and reform the state tax code to allow residents to vote on government programs by earmarking their tax dollars.

Both candidates have expressed the importance of correcting the state's fiscal problems through budget cuts and smarter spending.

The 18th House District comprises parts of Evanston, Northbrook, Skokie, Wilmette and Winnetka.

Candidates

Click on a candidate's name for biographical information and answers to our candidate questionnaires, and check back for updates.

• Robyn Gabel
  
• Eric Lieberman

News

• Lieberman on Government Transparency and Tax Reform
• Gabel on Job Creation and Budget Cuts
• Tribune Endorses Lieberman for State Rep Over Incumbent Gabel

Blogs

Lieberman is a frequent Patch blogger. Here are some of his recent posts:

• Bring back jobs to America & Evanston
• Bright Horizons Presents A Dilema for Some Evanstonians
• A Poll about Polls: Why do you like polls?