Oberweis wins GOP primary to face Durbin

Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis (R) has won his Senate primary and will face Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in the fall.

{mosads}Oberweis, a wealthy dairy magnate, hard-line conservative and perennial candidate, leads businessman Doug Truax (R) by 55 percent-45 percent, with 54 percent of precincts reporting. The Associated Press has called the race.

The newly minted nominee has previously lost races for Senate, governor and U.S. House.

He outspent Truax, the early favorite of establishment Republicans, by a wide margin in the primary. But Truax got a late boost in the race after Oberweis left the state for a trip to Florida for his wife’s birthday last week, days before the primary.

In the solidly Democratic state, Oberweis begins the race as the prohibitive underdog against Durbin.

— This post was last updated at 10:15 p.m.