State Rep Margaret Croke, who grew up in Oak Park, has won a narrow victory in the hotly contested Democratic primary race for State Comptroller. The 33-year-old Croke, (D-Chicago) who now lives in Lincoln Park has represented a north side district in the Illinois General Assembly since 2021.
Croke edged out State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), who was endorsed by State Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) and the Democratic Party of Oak Park, by almost 27,000 votes. With just over 92% of the expected vote counted Croke has received 391,450 votes (34.6%) compared to 364,523 for Villa (32.3%). Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim has 275,560 votes (24.4%) and State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit has 98,745 (8.7%).
Incumbent Susana Mendoza did not run for another term and is expected to run for mayor of Chicago next year.
While Villa ran ahead of Croke in the city of Chicago as well as in DuPage and Kane counties Croke’s victory was forged in suburban Cook County where she received 38,558 more votes than Villa. Croke was the endorsed candidate of the Cook County Democratic Party and was also strongly supported by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
But Harmon strongly supported and worked hard for Villa. Villa carried Croke’s hometown of Oak Park by 1,351 votes winning 44.52% of the vote in Oak Park compared to 35.61% percent for Croke. Harmon accompanied Villa to Croke’s former elementary school, Mann School, on the afternoon of primary day.
“President Harmon has been a champion from the very beginning,” Villa told Wednesday Journal on Election Day. “Oak Park is so lucky to have him and we are so lucky to have him as a leader in the state senate.
Villa had characterized herself as the most progressive candidate in the race and Harmon said the state Democratic ticket needed more geographical and ethnic diversity.
In a telephone interview after the election Croke said that she totally understood why Harmon supported Villa, his Senate colleague, and said there were no hard feelings and that the two would work together in the general election campaign and beyond.
“I get it because it’s a Senate member who’s running, I mean he’s got to support members of his caucus first and foremost,” Croke said. “I think that also sets a really important precedent that when, you know, a member of his caucus decides to run for higher office that he’s going to support them. But I’ve already talked to with Senator Harmon. We spoke last week and he’s someone I really respect, someone that I hold in very high esteem. So we’ve talked about making sure we work together, that I’m back out at the Democratic Party of Oak Park, like next month. He knows that I care about my hometown a lot and I want to make sure that I’m a present elected official in the township so we’re excited to work together.”
Croke grew up around Euclid and Augusta and attended Mann Elementary School, Percy Julian Middle School and Oak Park and River Forest High School before heading off to the University of Michigan. Her parents, Bill Cox and Mary Noble, recently moved from Oak Park to the Old Town neighborhood to be closer to their daughter and help out with caring for Croke’s three young children. The children, ages 6, 3, and 1 were featured in some of Croke’s television and digital ads.
Croke said she first started getting interested in politics after being involved in mock trial at OPRF under former OPRF teacher Michael Soffer. After graduating from the University of Michigan Croke, who was then thinking of attending law school, got a job as a project assistant at the prestigious law firm of Sidley Austin. That’s where she really learned about politics and met her husband Patrick Croke who had worked as a lawyer for the Obama presidential campaign.
After a year at Sidley Austin, Croke starting working in politics first with a program aimed at getting women involved in politics called Off the Sidelines. She then worked on the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign and then for then Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. In 2017 she worked on Pritzker’s first campaign for governor and stayed through the election. After the election Croke worked for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity until being elected State Rep in 2020.
In the November general election Croke will face Republican Bryan Drew. For now she is reflecting on her victory and reintroducing herself to her children.
“I’m really honored that so many people are putting their trust in me to represent them in the state of Illinois,” Croke said. “While it is a moment of celebration I have a fire in me to make sure that one, I obviously win the general (election), but then, if I am successful in the general, to do the job well.”