Wetzel said the Laesch campaign hadn’t considered the difficulties of being the November nominee in the case that Foster wins the seat.
“We’re committed to the democratic process and we are committed to the Democratic Party, but we’re trying to make sure that every vote gets counted here,” she said.
The different results appeared to occur because of an additional candidate in the general primary election who was not on the ballot in the special primary — businessman Joe Serra. He took nearly all of his 8 percent from Foster.
The results are unofficial, but 100 percent of precincts have reported. The 323-vote gap represents less than half of 1 percent of ballots cast.
Foster’s campaign focused on his victory in the special election, and attempted to turn its efforts towards its March match-up with Oberweis, a dairy magnate who defeated state Sen. Chris Lauzen with 56 percent of the vote in both GOP primaries.
It declined on Wednesday afternoon to comment on Laesch’s decision not to concede.
“From the beginning, I’ve talked about voters responding to my positive message of solving problems,” Foster said early Wednesday morning. “I feel that, after a spirited discussion, voters will choose change.”
The Foster-Oberweis match-up features two well-funded candidates who are able to tap their personal resources to make the race even more expensive. Both have already self-funded about $1.4 million for the race, according to FEC reports.
Oberweis immediately went on the offensive Wednesday, challenging Foster to take a taxpayer protection pledge.
The district voted 55 percent for President Bush in 2004, but a weak state GOP apparatus and the unpredictability of a special election could help Democrats make it a race.
Oberweis’s victory helps the cash-strapped national GOP in that it likely won’t have to spend money on the race, which is in a district outside of Chicago.
In other Illinois races decided Tuesday night, Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D) easily survived a primary challenge from the left with more than 50 percent of the vote, lining himself up for a third term in Congress.
Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Mark Pera had the backing of the netroots and liberals in the district but took just 26 percent, while two other candidates split up the other 21 percent with 93 percent of precincts in.
In retiring Rep. Ray LaHood’s (R) district, 26-year-old state Rep. Aaron Schock took 71 percent of the GOP primary vote. Democrats will have to find another candidate after theirs, former NBA coach Dick Versace, bowed out before the primary for family reasons.
New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann (R) and state Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D) will face off for the seat being vacated by Rep. Jerry Weller (R), with Baldermann winning 62 percent of the vote and Halvorson unopposed.
Democrat Dan Seals took about 80 percent against former Clinton administration official Jay Footlik’s well-funded campaign and will face Rep. Mark Kirk (R) for the second straight election. He fell 53-47 in a closer-than-expected result in 2006.
In other races, two nationally recruited candidates won against more nominal competition.
Businessman Steve Greenberg will take on Rep. Melissa Bean (D) after winning 57 percent in a GOP primary, and Iraq veteran Jill Morgenthaler easily won the Democratic nod to face freshman Rep. Peter Roskam (R).
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