And the GOP base—the voters who turn out for primaries—chose the anti-gay nutjob by the slimmest possible margin:

Primary voters handed a narrow victory to an Illinois Republican candidate who blamed autism, dementia, and tornadoes on abortion and same-sex marriage. The state’s Republican Party severed ties with Susanne Atanus in January after she made the controversial remarks in a newspaper interview, but Atanus ignored party leaders’ call for her withdrawal and will face incumbent Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the November election. Her primary opponent, Republican David Earl Williams III, has called for a recount of the official results, which showed 12,447 votes for Atanus and 12,012 votes for him with all 338 precincts reporting in Cook County. [The] 30-year-old Williams carried his own liabilities, including a challenge to his nominating petition and a December domestic violence order filed against him by a former girlfriend who claims he tried to get her fired and kicked out of school by impersonating her online. He’s currently fighting a judge’s order to attend anger management classes and undergo a mental health assessment.

This next headline shows that nuttiness isn't just a problem the GOP's base. It goes straight to the top:

RNC Chair: Voters Actually Thought Romney 'Would Make A Better President' Than Obama