Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley won Tuesday’s special election Democratic primary with 22 percent of the vote, making him the odds-on favorite to win White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s former Congressional seat.

Quigley defeated 11 other Democrats, including three elected officials from the area, with 11,910 votes, according to final results from the Associated Press.

State Rep. John Fritchey (D) trailed Quigley with 9,635 votes (18 percent), followed by state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz with 9,031 votes (17 percent). Feigenholtz heavily outspent the rest of the field and had the backing of several powerful national groups, such as the Service Employees International Union and EMILY’s List, who jointly spent more than $300,000 on her behalf in the short contest.

Given the north Chicago district’s Democratic lean, Quigley is heavily favored to win the special election on April 7. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) congratulated Quigley on his victory.

“Following in the tradition of President [Barack] Obama and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Mike Quigley is a strong advocate for Illinois’ middle class families,— Van Hollen said in a statement.