Early and absentee votes counted in Peoria County show that Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride is just barely below the 60 percent voter approval margin needed to be retained to a third 10-year term.
According to a Peoria County tally posted at 7:19 p.m., 30,162 voted yes and 20,499 voted no to retain Kilbride.
The margin puts him at 59.54% yes to 40.46% no.
Kilbride, Democrat, was first elected in the Third Judicial District in 2000. The district includes Will and Kankakee counties, and runs west across Central Illinois to the Mississippi River, covering 18 other counties, including Peoria, LaSalle and Rock Island counties.