Will County Executive Bertino-Tarrant holds lead in reelection bid

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant held a narrow lead in the unofficial vote count Tuesday but claimed a win in her bid for reelection to a second term.

Democrat Bertino-Tarrant had 51.2% of the vote in her contest against former Will County Board member Charles “Chuck” Maher.

The numbers with all precincts reporting were 157,542 votes for Bertino-Tarrant and 150,423 for Maher, a Republican from Naperville.

The last count Tuesday did not include late-arriving mail-in votes and provisional ballots that will be counted Nov. 19.

“I’m very grateful to the people of Will County who supported me,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “This never grows old. I’m always grateful to the people who help me get elected.”

In her campaign, Bertino-Tarrant pointed to financial stability in county government and economic growth in Will County, as she made a claim to strong leadership in her first term.

She also has faced controversies, however, with a County Board that frequently has had showdowns between Democrats and Republicans, a situation that intensified after the last election in 2022 that created a board more evenly divided between the two parties.

“I’m not going to lie,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “It’s been a difficult two years.”

She issued a statement Tuesday night pointing to balanced budgets and “the largest infrastructure improvement plan in Will County’s history,” among other things.

Maher, who previously served on the County Board for 16 years, said he called Bertino-Tarrant to concede, but he said he will watch the mail-in votes to see if there is a need to change his mind.

“I’m conceding the election, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up the votes,” he said.

On Nov. 19, the county clerk’s office will count all mail-in ballots postmarked by Nov. 5 but arriving after Sunday, which is when previously received mail-in ballots were counted.

The county had about 5,900 mail-in ballots waiting to be counted Wednesday, and more are coming.

But Maher’s chances of reversing a 7,119-vote deficit through write-in ballots seems slim based on his own analysis of the election.

Maher said he got the majority of votes from early voters and those who turned out Tuesday but lost the lead because of mail-in voting. Democrats historically get the majority of mail-in votes.

“I want to thank the citizens who got out and voted – all the people I talked to in the last 15 months,” Maher said.

In his campaign, Maher raised questions about Bertino-Tarrant’s leadership and tried to portray her as being at odds with residents.

Maher tried to chip away at Bertino-Tarrant early, joining the fray over a controversial plan to expand 143rd Street in Homer Township that is opposed by local residents. Bertino-Tarrant has been able to rely on strong support in the Joliet area, where she has been winning elections for years.

Bertino-Tarrant was a state senator before becoming county executive and is one of the most recognized political figures and governmental leaders in the county.