A candidate for the 9th Congressional District who made controversial remarks about same-sex marriage earlier this year has won the Republican primary.
Susanne Atanus, of Niles, was victorious Tuesday over opponent David Earl Williams, unofficial vote totals show. She will face incumbent Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky in the November primary.
According to unofficial totals, Atanus received 15,238 votes to Williams’ 13,864 votes.
Atanus made national news in January after telling the Daily Herald editorial board that severe weather was the work of an angry God who had been provoked by “abortions and same-sex marriage and civil unions.” She also said homosexuality will increase cases of AIDS and weaken the military, the newspaper reported.
Republican leaders urged Atanus to leave the race, but she declined.
Her opponent, Williams, also met with controversy during the race when a Washington D.C. judge ruled Williams had stalked an ex-girlfriend and issued a domestic violence civil protection order against him, the website Evanston Now reported. Williams denied the allegations.
The 9th Congressional District includes all of Evanston, Skokie, Niles, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Park Ridge and Norridge. It is includes parts of Wilmette, Northfield, Glenview, Golf, Rosemont and Des Plaines, as well as much of the north side of Chicago.
