In a huge voter turnout in the midst of a deadly pandemic, Joe Biden and Kamal Harris have been elected President and Vice-President of the United States. The expected vote totals are around 79,514,000 for Biden and 73,602,000 for Trump. If Georgia recount affirms Biden’s lead, the Electoral College breakdown is Biden 306 and Trump 232.
Projections show voter turnout will be the highest in one-hundred years.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers endorsed Joe Biden in February during the primary races before the nominations were decided. Biden supports the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which will protect workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively and increase penalties on companies that interfere with that basic right ; extending the right to organize and bargain collectively to independent contractors; upholding project labor agreements; community investment by widely applying and strictly enforcing prevailing wages on all federally-supported infrastructure and transportation projects; creating a cabinet-level working group that will focus solely on promoting union organizing and collective bargaining in the private and public sectors; banning “right-to-work”; and improving workplace safety and health by reinstating occupational and safety standards weakened under the current administration.
In Illinois, the Fair Tax proposal was rejected by 53.4 percent of the voters, while US Senator Durbin, with a 97% pro-labor voting record, was reelected. In the State Senate, Karina Villa won the 25th District seat that Oberweis left to unsuccessfully run for Congress.
Republicans won six House Districts: Michael Camerer in Dist 45; Chris Bos in Dist 51; Amy Elik in Dist 111, David Friess in Dist 116; Democrats won two House Districts; Janet Yang-Rohr defeated Wherli in Dist 41 and Suzanne Ness won Dist 66 against Rep. Skillicorn.
The eighteen members of the US Congress delegation for the next two-year term will Bobby Rush* (D), Robin Kelly* (D), Marie Newman (D), Jesus Garcia*(D), Mike Quigley* (D), Sean Casten* (D), Danny Davis* (D), Raja Krishnamoorthi* (D), Jan Schakowsky* (D), Brad Schneider* (D), Bill Foster* (D), Mike Bost* (R), Rodney Davis* (R), Lauren Underwood* (D), Mary Miller (R), Adam Kinzinger* (R), Cheri Bustos* (D), Darin LaHood* (R). An asterisk denotes an incumbent.