Anita Alvarez has won the Democratic nomination in a  six-way race to succeed longtime Cook County state's attorney Richard Devine, who is retiring after three terms.

Alvarez ended the primary Tuesday with 242,693 votes, edging out 38th Ward alderman Tom Allen, who received 233,130 votes.

Alvarez, a career prosecutor with 21 years in the state's attorney's office, defeated her other opponents in the race by wider margins; particularly her co-worker Robert J. Milan.

Despite having received Devine's endorsement, Milan, the office's first-assistant, finished fifth in the race.

Allen, considered the front runner in the race, had criticized the way the office was run under Devine and his assistants, including Alvarez, who is Devine's chief deputy.

But Allen campaign manager Patton Price said Tuesday that the focus must now turn toward beating the Republican Tony Peraica, a Cook County commissioner, in the general election in November.

"He fought hard, we're all really proud of the campaign that
he ran, but at the end of the day he didn't come out on top,
and Anita Alvarez is our nominee," said Price.

Alvarez told the Chi-Town Daily News last month that the office is better served by a career prosecutor than a politician. She also said her primary concern as state's attorney would be public safety.