Election 2022: Ebner leads La Salle County clerk race decisively

If the numbers hold, La Salle County voters have chosen a new county clerk.

Jennifer Ebner, a Peru Republican and political newcomer, was leading Democratic incumbent Lori Bongartz by a preliminary total of 20,512 to 18,293. The numbers are not final, but Bongartz said there were only about 600 mail-in votes remaining to be counted, meaning Ebner’s margin of victory will be decisive.

“I want to thank all the people that helped me with this race, all the people that voted for me, and thank God for this opportunity,” Ebner said in a statement issued late Tuesday.

Bongartz said she was “very surprised” by the outcome, but said, “It is what it is. I’ll just move on.”

Ebner was helped by two factors. First was a minor red wave in La Salle County led by Darren Bailey, who lost his bid for governor but still claimed a 55% majority among La Salle County voters, which in turn buoyed down-ballot Republicans.

Second, Bongartz had been a GOP target since her handling of the 2020 presidential election. After the 2020 votes seemingly were tabulated, early and mail-in votes were abruptly added and some outcomes swung in favor of Democrats. A court bid by the GOP to reverse the races failed, but county clerk immediately became a targeted race.

Ebner defeated fellow Republican Steven Stohr of Ottawa in the June primary.

The presumptive new county clerk is a child care/business owner who has been an active member of the La Salle County Republican Central Committee since January of 2021. She has been on several committees and served as chairwoman of the election integrity committee.