Rock Island Today

Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms has thanked his supporters after conceding the State Senate race to represent the 36th District.

"Although the results on Tuesday were not the ones we wanted, I want to extend a big THANK YOU to my family, friends, volunteers, and supporters for joining me in this journey to bring common sense, bipartisan solutions to Illinois," he posted on Facebook. "Getting to know people from Macomb to Moline and everywhere in between will always be my favorite part of this campaign. There is work to be done here in the Land of Lincoln, and I will continue to serve my community, region, and state. I wish Mike Halpin well as he goes on to serve those in Western Illinois."

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Democrat Mike Haplin's 38,235 votes, or 54.6% of the vote, bested Thoms' 31,826 votes, or 45.4% of the vote in the 36th Senate District, with 97% of the vote in. 

In Henry County, Thoms took 58.8% of the vote to Haplin's 41.2%. In Knox County, Haplin took 53.9% of the vote to Thoms' 46.1%. In McDonough County, Thoms took 54.7% of the vote to Haplin's 45.3%. In Mercer County, Thoms took 60.1% of the vote to Haplin's 39.9%, and in Rock Island County, Haplin took 59.8% of the vote to Thoms' 40.2%.

After winning the Republican primary in the spring, Thoms thanked his family, friends, and everybody that voted and supported him adding that "It was a lot of hard work, but we're ready for the next phase and moving forward and winning in November." He won his primary with 67.8 percent of the vote. 

Thoms is a fourth-generation Rock Island resident who retired from Thoms-Proestler Co., his family's food service company. He also served as president of Renaissance Rock Island, a nonprofit economic development organization. The Chicago Tribune was among his supporters: "[W]e see Thoms as having the more apt background to help Western Illinois. Thoms wins our endorsement."

On the heels of Republican losses across the state, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge) announced he would not seek another term to lead and expressed that "It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as leader of the House Republican caucus, but it’s time for the Illinois Republican Party to rebuild with new leaders who can bring independents back to the party that are needed to bring change to the state." 

Republicans went into the election with high hopes; however only 78 of the 118 House seats were contested, and there were only 25 of 59 Senate seats contested. They made modest gains in the State Senate but were not sufficient to flip the supermajority held by Democrats in Springfield.

"We know that when we fight, we win — and tonight, that couldn’t be more true," House Speaker Emanuel Welch (D-Westchester) said on election night, according to the Chicago Tribune. "House Democrats have fought tirelessly for working families and have secured important legislative wins to protect reproductive rights, rebuild our infrastructure, fund critical public safety initiatives, and so much more." 

"The people have spoken," said Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). "Now it’s time to get to work governing."