West Cook News

Just more than 800 votes in Tuesday's primary brought a close to political newcomer and University of Chicago Trauma Center director and physician Jefferey Leef's run for the Illinois 7th Congressional District seat.

Leef's Republican opponent in the primary Craig Cameron, also a political newcomer, was able to gain 56.61 percent of the votes as they vied to unseat incumbent Democratic Rep. Danny Davis.

Leef had focused much of his campaign on being a political outsider and made education one of his top campaign issues. 

"I think the foundation for every community to build on lies in education," Leef told the West Cook News in a September 2017 article. 

Leef had hoped that being a Washington outsider would resonate with voters. 

“Career politicians tend to do what’s best for them, and that’s all that concerns them,” Leef said in the West Cook News article. "I would impose term limits, and we also need to do away with this one-party system, especially in Chicago... . You can’t have the same person in office year after year and have the interest of the people at heart. You have to be willing to pass the baton.”