A Week Later, Still No Winner In Illinois' 14th Congressional District Race

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Almost a week after the election, there is still no winner in Illinois' 14th Congressional District.

Over the weekend, incumbent Democrat Lauren Underwood took the lead, and now stands nearly 1,200 votes over Republican Jim Oberweis.

Complicating a final result is the process of getting a true count of outstanding ballots – because the district stretches into seven counties.

Thus, everyone is in a holding pattern until the next batch of votes, which is expected next week.

The district is located west of the immediate Chicago area and includes parts of Lake, McHenry, Kane, DeKalb, Kendall, DuPage, and Will counties from the southern boundary of Kendall County north to the Wisconsin state line.

It is a mix of suburban subdivisions and farms.

On Wednesday of last week, Oberweis declared victory.

"Today, after contacting every County Clerk across the 14th District, I am pleased to say that, with only a handful of outstanding ballots, it appears that I have won a tough fought campaign against Lauren Underwood," Oberweis said Wednesday. "This race has been an uphill battle to say the least. Lauren Underwood has enjoyed a tremendous financial advantage having outspent me 4-1. But despite all of the money she spent, we prevailed."

But Underwood was quick to say Oberweis' declaration was premature and inappropriate.

"Jim Oberweis doesn't get to call this election: the voters do. There are thousands of votes that have yet to be counted. We appreciate every voter who made their voice heard, and our county clerks and election officials must count every ballot in as expeditious and transparent a manner as is possible," Underwood's campaign said. "Based on publicly available data, we remain confident that once ballots are counted, this race will reflect that the voters have reelected Congresswoman Lauren Underwood."

Underwood defeated incumbent Randy Hultgren in the 14th District in 2018, taking away a seat that had been held by the GOP for all but three years since 1939.

Oberweis has been a state senator since 2013, and has mounted failed bids for the U.S. Senate in 2002, 2004, and 2014; for governor in 2006, and for Congress in 2008.

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