Kane County Reporter

Connie Cain defeated Durkin-backed Arin Thrower in a very tight primary for the 66th House District.

She spoke highly of her opponent in a Facebook post.

“I received a call tonight from my fellow Republican Arin Thrower to concede the primary race," Cain said. "First, I would like to thank Arin for her gracious call. It was a close race. For six months, Arin campaigned to represent the people of this district. She is sharp and a hard worker. She is an eloquent speaker. Though we are separate on ideas for Illinois, we have to remember we both love Illinois and this great nation. We are both conservative Republicans. We both want Illinois to prosper in economic prosperity and security. Furthermore, we both want a better future for our families and Illinois residents." 

Cain congratulated Thrower on a tough race and hoped to raise the GOP flag in the general election to represent the district.

"I look forward to her plans as we continue to progress in the Republican Party," she added. "The fight is yet to begin to shake things up in Springfield to hold the Statehouse accountable to the people. For far too long, we have been ignored, and now our voices are being heard. I look forward to working with Arin in the future because as Republicans, we need to come together to fight for the people of Illinois to give them the representation that they rightfully deserve." 

Cain also thanked her supporters.

"I close with this," she said. "This win would not have been possible without your support and votes. I thank you all for your hand in taking back our state. I will always be your voice to represent your families so that we together can restore our great state, Illinois!"

According to her campaign website, Cain is a lifelong Illinois resident who served eight years in the Army reserves. She is also a licensed certified public accountant with 20 years of experience in the industry. She is pro-life, pro-second amendment and a fiscal conservative. Her top policy priorities are constitutional pension reform, property tax cuts, ethics reform, economic growth and parental rights. Cain believes that her experience both in the Army and as an accountant makes her an ideal candidate for the General Assembly.

In the Republican primary for the 66th House District, House minority leader Jim Durkin supported Thrower over Cain. After a close race that at one point was separated by 64 votes, Cain pulled through. This comes as other Durkin-backed candidates across the state lost their primaries as well, Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Incumbent Democrat in the 66th House District, Suzanne Ness, was at one point undecided if she would back Mike Madigan for speaker in the wake of an indictment of a Madigan associate regarding the ComEd bribery scandal. She stated that future indictment against the speaker himself may impact her choice, according to Morrill & Fiedler. Ness received $600,000 in contributions from various political organizations, with some being controlled by Madigan.