Ill. voters greeted by snow, average temps

Polls are open until 8 p.m. ET for Illinois’s Tuesday primary, as voters choose their nominees for the state’s gubernatorial, Senate and congressional contests.

Some snow has fallen and temperatures are in the low 30s, but weather isn’t expected to be a severe detriment to turnout. Still, voter participation was projected to be light and was reportedly “extremely low” in some counties.

{mosads}The big-ticket contests are the Democratic primaries for governor and Senate. In the gubernatorial race, Gov. Pat Quinn faces state Comptroller Dan Hynes in a tight race. For Senate, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is looking to overcome some late problems stemming from his family’s bank.

All three Democratic Senate candidates spent the final day in Chicago.

Giannoulias was scheduled to spend the early afternoon shaking hands at Manny’s Deli; former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman was to rally at Daley Plaza and then greet voters at a railroad station; and Chicago Urban League President Cheryle Robinson Jackson was set to phone-bank and then spend some time at a local elementary school.

Other contests were being waged in the Chicago suburbs.

In the 14th district, attorney Ethan Hastert planned a “victory party” in St. Charles, where he hoped to celebrate a primary win over state Sen. Randy Hultgren in the GOP primary to face Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.).

In the 10th district, just north of Chicago, state Rep. Julie Hamos and 2006 and 2008 Democratic nominee Dan Seals will learn their fates. On the GOP side, businessmen Bob Dold and Dick Green will try to upend state Rep. Beth Coulson.

The winner will run for Rep. Mark Kirk’s (R-Ill.) seat. Kirk is a heavy favorite in the GOP Senate primary.