Giannoulias, Quigley and Pappas all win Tuesday. Next week, the Electoral Board takes up whether they can also run for mayor

All three mayoral candidates who were also on Tuesday's ballot won their races, according to unofficial results. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias was re-elected with about 64.5% of the vote, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (5th District) with about 75%, and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas ran unopposed, Block Club Chicago reported.

Why it matters: each now holds a fresh term in one office while running for mayor in the Feb. 23 election. A fellow mayoral candidate's objection, which argues state law bars running for two offices at once, goes before the Electoral Board starting next week. Today's wins don't settle that question.

The results

• Giannoulias led Diane Harris 64.5% to 35.5% with 81% of votes counted at 10:52 p.m. Tuesday, and the Associated Press called the race, Shaw Local reported. NBC Chicago's results page showed the same split at about 91% of the expected vote.
• Quigley had 75.5% to Tommy Hanson's 24.5% on NBC's page, at about 92% of the expected vote. CBS Chicago projected him the winner at 8:29 p.m.
• Pappas had no opponent, Block Club reported.

All results are unofficial and won't be certified for at least two weeks, Shaw Local noted.

The objection waiting for them

On Nov. 2, the last day to object, mayoral candidate William Quinlan filed objections arguing that the three are seeking incompatible offices, Block Club reported. An attorney working for Giannoulias called the effort frivolous and filed objections to Quinlan's own petitions. No one has ruled on either.

The Board's 2027 pamphlet says a candidate who files for incompatible offices and doesn't withdraw from all but one "shall not be certified, nor printed on the ballot, for any office." The open question is whether that rule reaches two elections held months apart. Our Tuesday story explains both sides and how the case got to the Board.

If one of them becomes mayor

Winning in February would leave the office won Tuesday to be filled another way:

• Secretary of State: the Illinois Constitution (Article V, Section 7) has the governor fill a vacancy by appointment.
• U.S. House: a vacancy is filled by special election, under Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution.
• County treasurer: state law sets how a county office vacancy is filled. We'll report the details if it comes to that.

What our records add

All three are on the Board's Oct. 30 list of mayoral candidates on our mayor's race page. Our counts of filled-in petition lines, which are not the Board's count of valid signatures:

• Giannoulias: 56,232 lines. Our copy is incomplete: 16 fewer readable sheets than the Board's receipt lists.
• Quigley: 41,587 lines on 2,972 pages, a complete copy.
• Pappas: not yet counted.

Each needs at least 12,500 valid signatures. Quinlan's objection to the three, as reported, is about eligibility, not signatures, so these counts don't bear on it. We have no count for Quinlan's petitions.

None of the three has served on the City Council, so none has a Council voting record in our files.

What's next

• Wed., Nov. 4: the Board is expected to post its full list of objections. Its website was unreachable for us Wednesday morning; our story on that.
• Mon., Nov. 9: Electoral Board hearings begin, the Board told NBC Chicago.
• Dec. 17: the Board certifies the February ballot. Either side can ask a Cook County judge to review an Electoral Board ruling.
• Feb. 23, 2027: the mayoral election, with an April 6 runoff if no one wins a majority.