Democrat Laura Ellman won a third term representing Illinois Senate District 21 on Nov. 3, defeating Republican Julie Berkowicz by a wide margin.
Ellman held 66.5% of the vote compared to 33.5% for Berkowicz, with 94% of ballots counted, Shaw Local first reported. The Associated Press called the race at 9:37 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Results will not be certified for two weeks.
The district covers portions of DuPage and Will counties.
Ellman, a Naperville Democrat, was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 2018. She chairs the Senate Environment and Conservation Committee. Before entering politics, she spent more than 25 years in manufacturing and engineering and has worked as an assessor at a national laboratory, according to Shaw Local.
Ellman created the state's Hydrogen Economy Task Force and worked to make overdose reversal drugs more accessible, according to her Senate website.
Berkowicz, also of Naperville, is a Will County Board member and Will County Forest Preserve commissioner. Her campaign listed affordability, energy, public safety and government accountability as priorities. Her website said state government should show the need, the cost, the expected result and how success will be measured before adding a tax, fee or program, Shaw Local reported.
Berkowicz said in a candidate questionnaire that she has served three terms on the Will County Board, entering her ninth year of public service. She also serves as a director on the Nature Foundation of Will County and on the National Association of Counties Rural Agriculture Caucus.
The Nov. 3 race was Ellman's largest margin of victory since she first won the seat in 2018.
