Editing Harold Washington (section)

====Campaign for a seat on the Illinois Senate====
In 1975, Partee, now [[President of the Illinois Senate|President of the Senate]] and eligible for his pension, decided to retire from the Senate. Although Daley and Taylor declined at first, at Partee's insistence, Washington was ultimately slated for the seat and he received the party's support.<ref name="levinsohn_121-122">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 121–122.</ref> Daley had been displeased with Washington for having run a symbolic challenge in 1975 to Daley-backed [[Clyde Choate]] for Illinois Speaker of the House (Washington had only received two votes).<ref name="levinsohn_121-122"/> Additionally, he had ultimately helped push the vote towards Redmond as a compromise candidate.<ref name="levinsohn_a"/> The [[United Automobile Workers]] union, whose backing Washington obtained, were critical in persuading Daley to relent to back his candidacy.<ref name="levinsohn_a"/>

Washington defeated [[Anna Langford]] by nearly 2,000 votes in the Democratic primary.<ref name="levinsohn_a">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983)</ref> He went on to win the general election.