LINCOLN PARK — Election data from the 43rd Ward indicates the ward leans much further toward the center than the rest of Chicago and was nearly split between Gov. Pat Quinn and Bruce Rauner.
After Tuesday's election, in which Rauner won the governor's race, data indicated Quinn beat out the Republican by less than 1 percent in the ward (102 votes).
"It was definitely a big win and it means that we are no longer a junior partner in this ward," said Chris Cleveland, 43rd Ward Republican Committeeman.
Rauner gained 49.0 percent of the 15,518 votes in the 43rd Ward compared to Quinn's 49.7 percent.
The only other ward citywide where Quinn failed to gain at least 50 percent of the vote was the 42nd.
In the 42nd, which encompasses Streeterville, the Loop and most of Downtown, Rauner gained 50.4 percent of the vote compared to Quinn's 48.2 percent.
Citywide, 20.8 percent of voters cast a ballot for Rauner, while 77.2 voted for Quinn.
In the 2010 general election, Quinn received 55.4 percent of the votes in the 43rd Ward compared to 39.8 percent for Republican Bill Brady.
Cleveland said this year's results blew away his earlier analysis that the ward is 40 percent Republican.
"This means that people no longer need to be afraid to run as capital "R" Republicans," he said.
Turnout in the ward, which includes the vast majority of Lincoln Park, portions of Old Town and the Gold Coast, was strong at 53.8 percent of registered voters compared to 46.2 percent citywide.
See how the 43rd Ward voters compared to the rest of the city:
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