Illinois Representative Dan Lipinski
lost the Democratic primary to a liberal challenger on Tuesday.
The eight-term Lipinski was known for
his staunch opposition to abortion and votes against same-sex
marriage, positions out of step with the Democratic Party. He also
voted against the Affordable Care Act (ACA), former President Barack
Obama's signature health care law.
With nearly all precincts reporting,
businesswoman Marie Newman is leading Lipinski 47 to 45 percent, the
AP reported. Lipinski conceded the race during a news conference.
Newman narrowly lost to Lipinski in
2018.
The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19)
epidemic might have contributed to Lipinski's loss as older voters
who were more inclined to vote for the incumbent stayed home out of
fears of contracting the virus.
During his time in Congress, Lipinski
voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which
prohibited the federal government from recognizing the legal
marriages of gay and lesbian couples, and supported the First
Amendment Defense Act (FADA), a bill which sought to bar federal
“discriminatory action” against those who oppose same-sex
marriage based on a “religious belief or moral conviction.”
In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court in
Obergefell struck down state laws and constitutional
amendments prohibiting same-sex marriage.
Lipinski remains opposed to marriage
equality but says that he supports the high court's ruling “because
it has been declared the law of the land.”
In 2010, Lipinski voted in favor of
repealing “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the military policy which
prohibited gay and lesbian troops from serving openly in the
military.
According to fivethirtyeight.com,
Lipinski voted 25.2 percent of the time with President Donald Trump's
position even though a majority of voters in his district (55%) voted
for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016.