emocrat Debbie Halvorson is leading Republican concrete company owner Marty Ozinga in a race for an open Illinois congressional seat.

The race is to replace exiting GOP Congressman Jerry Weller. Weller opted not to seek an eighth term amid ethics questions in Illinois’ 11th District. The district stretches from Chicago’s south suburbs to the farms of central Illinois.

With 54 percent of precincts reporting, Halvorson had 59 percent and Ozinga had 34 percent. Green Party candidate Jason Wallace had 7 percent.

Ozinga and Halvorson’s race got nasty as the election neared, with both candidates trying to tie the other to Illinois’ unpopular Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich through TV ads.