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Illinois Primary 2012 Election Guide: Key Races To Watch (PHOTOS)

Primary Election Guide: Key Races To Watch
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With the Illinois primary election Tuesday, much attention has focused on the GOP presidential candidates' jockeying for the support of the state's prized delegates.

Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum both arrived in the state Friday to raise funds and rally support. President Obama also returned to his hometown to raise some cash, while Newt Gingrich, after telling an Elgin, Ill., crowd that the Bible was urging his campaign along earlier in the week, headed to Louisiana to continue his campaigning there.

The presidential primary aside, however, Illinois voters will be heading to the polls Tuesday to decide on a number of key congressional and local primary races. At HuffPost Chicago, we've been keeping a close eye on these contests and have narrowed the dozens upon dozens of races down to 12 which we will be tracking carefully in the days ahead as part of our 2012 primary election guide.

Looking for more? The Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune both have elaborate election pages including race profiles, news updates and, in the case of the Tribune, endorsements.

Know of other races you're watching closely this Tuesday? Any shenanigans you're tracking? Let us know in the comments.

Races To Watch
U.S. House, 2nd: Jesse Jackson Jr. (D) vs. Debbie Halvorson (D)(01 of12)
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Incumbent U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. faces in challenger (and former one-term congresswoman) Debbie Halvorson what many are calling his first "real primary challenge." The New York Times reports that Jackson has rarely exerted much effort on the campaign trail as his "campaigns have often seemed more like a formality than a fight." This time around, even as polls continue to show Jackson holding a sizable lead, Halvorson has come out fighting, most recently accusing the congressman of "lying" about her voting record -- which Jackson's camp has described as "like a conservative Republican."
U.S. House, 8th: Tammy Duckworth (D), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D), Joe Walsh (R)(02 of12)
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Redistricting has made the 8th District race especially contentious, with incumbent Joe Walsh (R) facing off against Tammy Duckworth (D), back from a stint with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington. Walsh burst on the national media scene after boycotting the President's jobs speech, and has had to deflect ad-hominem attacks over his personal life and sometimes erratic public behavior. Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi (upper right) is up against Duckworth, and Walsh faces Andrew Palomo (lower right), the only contender in the race for the 8th without a history of political service.
U.S. House, 16th: Don Manzullo (R) vs. Adam Kinzinger (R)(03 of12)
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Two incumbent Republican congressmen -- 10-term veteran Don Manzullo (right) and freshman Adam Kinzinger -- will face off in this contest. As NPR reports, their primary race was borne out of the state's Democrat-controlled redistricting process. Manzullo this week accused his rival of releasing a mail piece "that made my wife weep."
U.S. House, 10th: Brad Schneider (D), Ilya Sheyman (D)(04 of12)
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Four Democrats are engaged in a battle in the mostly north suburban Chicago 10th congressional district, but two -- Brad Schneider (upper left) and Ilya Sheyman (upper right) -- appear to be the heavy hitters here. While Sheyman's camp has criticized Schneider as having a "long history of funding right-wing Republicans who are trying to dismantle Medicare and Social Security," Schneider has accused Sheyman of "spreading lies" and being the candidate of "outside special interests," Politico reports. Schneider also was called out for a misleading flyer that seemed to tout President Obama's endorsement of him -- though no such endorsement has been made. The two -- as well as Vivek Bavda (lower left) and John Tree (lower right) -- are jockeying in the hopes of unseating U.S. Rep. Robert Dold (R) in the fall.
U.S. House, 11th: Judy Biggert (R), Bill Foster (D)(05 of12)
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While U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R) will run unopposed in her Republican primary -- due to problems with former challenger Jack Cunningham's petitions -- political insiders are already looking to the November general election in this heavily redistricted district. Biggert will face either former congressman Bill Foster or two other Democratic primary candidates -- Juan Thomas or Jim Hickey -- in the fall. Biggert's Keystone ties were questioned earlier this year by Foster.
U.S. House, 3rd: Dan Lipinski (D), Arthur Jones (R)(06 of12)
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Republican congressional candidate Arthur Jones (left) came under fire last month when he commented that "the Holocaust is nothing more than an international extortion racket by the Jews. It's the blackest lie in history." The comment perhaps has taken the cake as the most inflammatory soundbite of an Illinois primary season which has not run short on dramatics. Jones is running against two fellow candidates -- Jim Falvey and Richard Grabowski -- in the Republican primary. U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (right), a conservative-leaning Democrat, faces a longshot primary challenge in Farah Baqai, a progressive.
Illinois House, 22nd: Michael Madigan (D) vs. Michelle Piszczor (D)(07 of12)
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Michelle Piszczor is considered the most viable candidate challenging Michael Madigan's seat. Piszczor has accused the incumbent representative of slashing her tires and other intimidation tactics. The low-key campaigning (or utter lack thereof) from contenders Trejo, Rodriguez and Handzik have raised some eyebrows after allegations in previous years that Madigan's camp plants opponents. Madigan took some heat for distributing a mailer that skewered former Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Illinois House, 39th: Maria "Toni" Berrios (D) vs. Will Guzzardi (D)(08 of12)
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Incumbent Maria "Toni" Berrios is the daughter of Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios, who was the center of some controversy when an opponent ran a Valentine's Day ad accusing him of nepotism. Will Guzzardi, formerly an editor at HuffPost Chicago, is making his first foray into politics with this race.
Illinois House, 14th: Kelly Cassidy (D) vs. Paula Basta (D)(09 of12)
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Two openly lesbian lawmakers and activists face off in this unique statehouse race on Chicago's Far North Side. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (left) won the seat after being appointed, over her primary challenger Paula Basta, by 48th Ward Democratic committeewoman Carol Ronen last spring. Since then, Cassidy has busily introduced a bevy of progressive legislation, including a much-publicized "Viagra amendment," gun control legislation and LGBT rights initiatives. In a HuffPost interview, Basta criticized Cassidy as part of a machine politics-oriented system that is "broken," while Cassidy has remained focused on what she called, according to the Windy City Times, "a very aggressive legislative agenda."
Illinois House, 10th: Derrick Smith (D) vs. Tom Swiss (D)(10 of12)
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Voters in the mainly West Side Chicago 10th District statehouse Democratic primary face what observers are calling a difficult decision. Incumbent state Rep. Derrick Smithwas arrested Tuesday on charges that he accepted a bribe from a daycare center seeking a state grant. His primary opponent, Tom Swiss, is a former director of the Cook County Republican Party who is running as a Democrat and faced criticism over a bizarre campaign billboard featuring his name next to an image of black construction worker, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Illinois Senate, 5th: Annazette Collins (D) vs. Patricia Van Pelt Watkins (D)(11 of12)
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The showdown between incumbent state Sen. Annazette Collins (right) and Patricia Van Pelt Watkins, a community activist and former Chicago mayoral candidate perhaps best known for being called a crackhead by a rival, intensified in recent weeks as Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White switched his report from Collins to Watkins over allegations that she incumbent abused the state's controversial legislative scholarship program. White called Collins "the most unethical person in government," which prompted the senator to threaten a lawsuit. Watkins recently told The Huffington Post that she wouldn't be surprised if Collins were the next prison-bound elected official from Illinois. "And I bet she wouldn't be surprised either," she added. Polls indicate this race is going to be a close one.
Cook County Circuit Court Clerk: Dorothy Brown (D) vs. Ricardo Munoz (D)(12 of12)
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Incumbent Dorothy Brown and challenger Ald. Ricardo Munoz are engaged in a bitter battle for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk. Appearing on Chicago Tonight, they exchanged barbs over ethics and political contributions, NBC Chicago reports.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that U.S. Rep. Manzullo is a 10-year veteran congressman. Manzullo, first elected in 1992, is a 10-term, 20-year veteran.

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