Republican Lori Grubbs leads DeKalb County Circuit Clerk race with over 10,000 votes

As of 10:40 p.m. Tuesday, 65 out of 65 DeKalb precincts were fully reporting, and 47,982 voters cast their ballots throughout DeKalb County, though nearly 2,000 outstanding mail-in ballots weren't returned as of about four days ago, said Doug Johnson, DeKalb County clerk and recorder Tuesday night.

Ballots postmarked by Tuesday will be counted if they arrive by 14 days after the election.

With all precincts reporting, the race for DeKalb County Circuit Clerk shows a difference of over 10,000 votes, with numbers showing Republican candidate Lori Grubbs gaining a significant lead over Democrat challenger Rukisha Crawford.

Both candidates were newcomers in this election as long-time clerk Maureen Josh is retiring and chose not to run for reelection.

Republican newcomer Lori Grubbs, a lifelong DeKalb County resident who lives in Sycamore and has worked in the Circuit Clerk's office for 25 years and as supervisor for the civil division for the last 15, held 60.2% of the vote as of 10:40 p.m. Tuesday night, or 28,007 votes.

Crawford, a native of Chicago who has lived in DeKalb for 20 years and serves on the DeKalb County Board, earned 39.8% of the vote, or 18,517 votes.

Grubbs, who's new to elected office, was watching results at home with her family, husband Jeremy Grubbs, and son Conor. Her other son, Jared Grubbs, a freshman at Purdue University, joined the family virtually through FaceTime, she said.

"I'm very excited," Grubbs said. "I believe with the support of everyone that I had, I've had a great run this campaign. I'd like to thank Maureen Josh, my family, my friends, my coworkers, and my dad."

The circuit clerk keeps records for small claims, probate, child support enforcement, traffic, criminal courts in the DeKalb County court system.

Grubbs began her work in the circuit clerk's office 25 years ago in the filing room, and after being deputized became court clerk in the civil courtrooms and on jury trials, she said. Her current work includes working with the Appellate Court on appeals, and she was part of the team that implemented e-filing for DeKalb County in 2014, four years before it was mandatory. She's also worked with implementing on online order of protection system, and worked with clients of Safe Passage, the county's domestic violence survivor advocacy center.

"My goal is to continue the strong tradition of public service, transparency and access to justice," Grubbs said during her campaign in an interview with the Daily Chronicle in September.

For the most up-to-date election results for all races, visit www.daily-chronicle.com.