Amy Grant sealed her victory in the Republican primary in House District 42 with a promise.
“You will get a representative that will always be there for constituents to reach out to,” Grant told the DuPage Policy Journal.
With 64 of the 121 precincts reporting, Grant, a DuPage County Board member, garnered approximately 65 percent of the vote and held an insurmountable lead over her closest rival in the race, controversial opponent Burt Minor, who had recorded approximately 22 percent of the vote. Ryan Byrne bagged 12.92 percent of the vote.
“They ran a hard race,” Grant said Tuesday night. “I’m happy about victory. I will work hard to defeat my opponent in the general election.”
Even with Grant clearly outclassing the competition, the race was not without controversy and intrigue.
Grant’s victory put an end to Minor’s checkered run, which at one point had Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) leading a group of GOP leaders calling for him to withdraw from the race after he was accused of using a homosexual slur and a racial epithet to refer to GOP attorney general candidate and former Miss America Erika Harold.
Minor, the Winfield Township Republican chairman, insisted he only used the N-word once after Harold asked him what that expression meant. He also said Harold encouraged him to ask about her sexuality.
The Grant now moves on to the general election, where she will face off against Democrat Kathleen Carrier of Carol Stream for the seat vacated by Ives in her bid to unseat Gov. Bruce Rauner.
"That sounds good to me," she told the Daily Herald while fielding congratulatory calls and texts. "I'm happy about that."
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