Party-backed newcomer Crawford defeats longtime Democratic state Rep. Flowers in primary

Complete coverage of the local and national primary and general election, including results, analysis and voter resources to keep Chicago voters informed.

Michael Crawford beat state Rep. Mary Flowers, the longest-serving Black lawmaker in Illinois, to win the Democratic primary for the Illinois House 31st District on Tuesday after party leadership and unions threw their support behind him.

With almost 80% of votes counted, Crawford beat Flowers, 69% to 31%, in a district that extends across the South Side and into the southwest suburbs, according to AP estimates.

Newcomer Crawford, 41, had the backing of Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch. In an unusual move that was a test of his own political muscle, Welch threw his support and money behind Crawford in the primary and helped him defeat an incumbent politician who first took office when Harold Washington was mayor of Chicago.

The race became a proxy for Welch’s power to control his own members. Welch and Democratic-supporting unions backed Crawford, raising a whopping $1.7 million. That’s more than Flowers raised in total over the last 30 years.

“I don’t think Crawford is the important part here,” said Brian Gaines, the Arrington professor in state politics at the University of Illinois. “He’s the device. It’s really about Flowers.”

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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The state Democratic establishment, however, failed in another race trying to fend off challenger Graciela Guzmán in the North Side 20th Senate District.

Despite being badly outspent, Guzmán defeated state Sen. Natalie Toro, who was appointed by a political committee last year. In that primary race, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and the Democrats, with help from unions, funded Toro with an eye-popping $2.6 million, four times the amount of money Guzman raised.

Welch demoted Flowers

Flowers, 72, fell out of favor with Welch, who removed her from Democratic leadership last year. In a letter to Flowers last May, Welch accused the longtime legislator of “abusive behavior,” including comparing “the appearance of a staff member to Adolf Hitler.”

Flowers has been the state representative for either the 31st or the South Side 21st District since 1985.

“I did not lose. Our democracy lost, when you take into consideration all they had to do to destroy me,” Flowers said after the election was called for her opponent.

Referring to the large amount of money put into the race, she added: “Can you imagine all we could have done in the Auburn Gresham area with that money?”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

In his victory speech, Crawford said he hoped his win would not be remembered only as him taking down a longtime incumbent.

“I hope that the headline is that we got one step closer to providing full funding for our public schools,” he told supporters on the South Side, “supporting women’s rights, supporting workers and addressing the epidemic of violence in our community.”

That’s not how one Flowers supporter saw it.

Ella Echols, 76, a longtime Auburn Gresham resident and Flowers supporter, questioned what Crawford will do for her community.

“What has he contributed to the community?” she asked. “Before this, no one had heard of Michael Crawford.”

Echols was particularly turned off by negative ads from Crawford’s campaign.

“Among all the adverse stuff going on here, some women, some people would have folded. But she’s a strong Black woman,” Echols said, referring to Flowers.

Guzmán overcomes funding deficit

With almost 90% of the vote counted, Guzmán was declared the winner over Toro, defeating her with almost 50% of the vote to Toro’s 30%. Guzmán won despite raising less than $658,000, or about a quarter of the amount of money raised for Toro.

“You can’t buy this district,” Guzmán told supporters after her win. “I’m grateful to the community that asked me to step up and believed in me and supported me.”

Toro, 36, replaced Cristina Pacione-Zayas, who left to join then-newly elected Mayor Brandon Johnson as one of his top advisers.

Guzmán, 35, was previously chief of staff to Pacione-Zayas and was in the running for the Senate appointment.

Incumbent Sonya Harper was challenged in the 6th House District, representing the South Side, by Joseph G. Williams, but she won easily with almost 74% of the vote.

Williams co-founded the community organization Grow Greater Englewood.

In the 36th House District, representing mostly south uburbs, Rick Ryan defeated Sonia Khalil 57% to 43%. The two candidates competed to replace state Rep. Kelly Burke, who decided not to run for reelection.

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