Although he lost a hard fought campaign to anti-gun, anti-Tea Party extremist Robin Kelly on Tuesday night, Republican Paul McKinley had a more than respectable showing in a race that was deemed a no contest for the Democrat Party by the Chicago Media months before the primary election. 

In the heavily Democrat district, McKinley received 17,994 votes, 22 percent overall with 98.5 percent of precincts reporting, after running a campaign with less $13,000 and zero support from the Illinois or National Republican Party (RNC).

Despite a full-on assault from local media outlets, led by the Chicago Tribune’s Bill Ruthhart and Fox Chicago’s Mike Flannery, McKinley also won two out of the three counties in the second district–taking Will County 43 to 41 percent and smashed her by 10 points in Kankakee County, 50 percent to Kelly’s 40.

In addition to the media effort that saw to it McKinley didn’t step out of his place as an activist, Breitbart News has learned from elected Republican Party officials that members within the Illinois GOP’s consulting class worked behind the scenes to derail McKinley’s campaign and fundraising efforts.

As expected, Kelly, a Democrat, was far stronger in Chicago and suburban Cook County where she received 83 percent of her nearly 56,979 votes.

After her victory, Kelly was quick to declare her enemies, setting her targets on the Tea Party, along with the NRA, who she railed against throughout the campaign:

“Watch us take on the NRA, the Tea Party, and anyone else standing in the way of our safety. Watch us mobilize families and turn grief into action just like the families of victims of gun violence have done in powering this campaign each and every day,” said Kelly.

At his election night headquarters, McKinley closed his campaign, declaring his race to be the “beginning of a movement” in reference to the awakening he believes is taking hold in black communities, and issued a warning to Chicago’s corrupt political class:

Today, we are saying, we have not been defeated, we won, not only have we won, we have opened a door that can not be shut… I hope that the people will take note, and I hope that those who sit in the shadows of the corrupt machine, I’m putting you on notice, that every ward, every committeeman, every person that’s running, we’re going to run somebody against you. The Machine doesn’t get a break no more!

Stay tuned for more election coverage and interviews.

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