US Rep. Jan Schakowsky continues her reign in 9th congressional district

Jan Schakowsky is heading back to Washington.

The Associated Press called the 9th District for Schakowsky, with vote totals showing a wide margin of victory - 70.5% to challenger Maxwell Rice’s 29.5%.

Schakowsky, 78, was first elected to the 9th district in 1998, after serving eight years in the Illinois General Assembly. Her 1998 victory in the Democratic primary included defeating young wealthy businessman named J.B. Pritzker.

She last won reelection for Congress in 2020 with 71% of votes.

Throughout much of her time in Congress, Schakowsky has received overwhelming support from her longtime constituents in north suburban Cook County and the Far North Side of Chicago.

The Democrat from Evanston faced off against Republican Max Rice in the newly redrawn 9th congressional district, which includes sections of Lake and McHenry counties.

Rice, a 30-year-old energy consultant and stand-up comic from Chicago’s West Rogers Park neighborhood, was considered a long-shot challenger. On the campaign trail, he told voters he considered himself more of an independent than a Republican.

Before Election Day, Rice told the Tribune his deep concern for the troubling state of the nation spurred him to run for office.

“I see the sky is falling, and we’re heading in the wrong direction right now,” he said.

The two candidates, who both ran unopposed in the primary election, differed on many polarizing national issues, including their strategies for curbing inflation, decreasing gun violence and addressing reproductive rights.