CHICAGO _ A north suburban Chicago statehouse seat remains a toss-up after Tuesday's polling totals show the candidates are separated by just one vote.
Republican Helene Miller Walsh, who was appointed to the seat in August after her predecessor Nick Sauer's abrupt resignation, garnered 25,106 votes, while her Democratic opponent Mary Edly-Allen's total stands at 25,105.
Walsh is the wife of radio host and former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh; Edly-Allen is a bilingual educator.
The race now could hinge on remaining provisional ballots and mail-in ballots, and could take up to two weeks to decide.
Provisional ballots _ those cast by voters whose eligibility is in question _ will continue to be evaluated and, where found valid, counted until 14 days after the election. Mail-in ballots continue to arrive, and those postmarked by Election Day will also be counted, explained election officials in Lake County, where all but one precinct in the 51st House District is located.
Walsh's appointment to the seat came shortly after Sauer resigned following a Politico report of claims that he had shared nude photos of an ex-girlfriend on social media. Sauer called the claims "a distraction."
The district includes all or parts of the Barrington area, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Libertyville and Mundelein.
