In one of the most-watched races this spring, 39th Dist. State Rep. hopeful Will Guzzardi has conceded to Maria Antonia “Toni” Berrios after more than a month-long recount.
Guzzardi, a young transplant from North Carolina and former Huffington Post editor, came within votes on unseating Berrios, who some argue is connected to the political machine of her father, Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios.
Both candidates had strong LGBT support. Guzzardi, whose brother is gay, is a strong believer in marriage equality and other LGBT protections. Berrios won the endorsement of Equality Illinois PAC, and has a longstanding relationship with Humbolt Park-based LGBT advocates.
Varying vote counts put Guzzardi within 111 votes of Berrios. Guzzardi had vowed to recount and suggested that his campaign had seen “inconsistencies” in precincts with strong “machine” presence.
But on May 1, a day after the deadline to file a court challenge, Guzzardi emailed constituents and called the race off.
“I hope the result of this election serves as a reminder to all of us that no matter how dysfunctional our government may seem, it is never immune to the will of the people,” he wrote.