8 a.m. —

With 373 of 377 precincts reporting, Democrat Dan Lipinski had about 67 percent of the votes, with Republican Michael Hawkins with about 26 percent of the vote.

11:15 p.m. —

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, R-3rd District, Western Springs, led opponents by a wide margin with about 86 percent of the vote totaled.

Lipinski garnered 84,937 votes compared to Republican challenger Michael Hawkins of Bridgeview, who trailed with 30,723 votes. Green Party candidate Jerome Pohlen had 6,817 votes.

Lipinski said he was pleased with the vote totals thus far.

“All the numbers I’ve seen have been very, very good for me,” he said. “I’m very happy that the voters in the 3rd District have given me their vote of confidence, and I look forward to continuing the work I’ve started, working on turning things around in the country right now.”

Lipinski, who is running for his third term, said he is looking forward to working on new energy independence legislation as well as transportation issues in his district in the coming year.

Lipinski taught political science at the University of Tennessee and at the University of Notre Dame prior to being elected to his congressional seat in 2006. He served as 3rd District congressman since 2004, after his father, William O. Lipinski, announced his retirement from Congress after winning the nomination in the Democratic primary. The younger Lipinski was allowed by the state Democratic Party to replace his father on the 2004 ballot.

He served on the staffs of former Minority Leader Richard Gephardt; U.S. Reps. Lane Evans, Jerry Costello and George Sangmeister; and former congressman, now Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich. He also served on the staffs of the House Administration Committee and the House Democratic Policy Committee and worked for the U.S. Department of Labor and the Illinois General Assembly’s Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation.

Lipinski holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University, a master’s degree in engineering-economic systems from Stanford University and a doctorate in political science from Duke University.

Lipinski and his wife, Judy, reside in Western Springs.

8:55 p.m. —
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (R-3rd District, Western Springs) had an early wide lead with 1,739 votes compared to Republican challenger Michael Hawkins of Bridgeview, who trailed with 541 votes. Green Party candidate Jerome Pohlen had a total of 161 votes. About 2 percent of vote totals were in.

8:38 p.m. —
Only 9 of 337 precincts have reported. Those precincts have Democrat Dan Lipinski leading with about 71 percent of the votes. Republican Michael Hawkins had about 22 percent of the vote.