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News
Republican voters choose Hultgren : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisRepublican voters choose Hultgren
| Hastert concedes, 'humbled by outpouring of support'
| by Tony Scott
| 2/4/2010
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Legislative experience won out over name recognition Tuesday as State Senator Randy Hultgren defeated Ethan Hastert in the 14th Congressional District Republican primary that decided who would challenge incumbent Rep. Bill Foster, D-Batavia, in the November general election.
The unofficial total vote counts were 34,305 votes, or 54.7 percent, for Hultgren and 28,457 votes, or 45.3 percent, for Hastert. Hastert received more votes in Kendall County - he is a Yorkville High School alum - than Hultgren, with 4,960 votes to Hultgren's 4,647.
The 14th District featured a special election in March of 2008 following the retirement of Hastert's father, former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert of Plano, to fill the remainder of Dennis Hastert's term.
The race two years ago featured a contentious GOP primary campaign between Jim Oberweis, who was backed by Dennis Hastert, and State Senator Chris Lauzen. Oberweis defeated Lauzen in the primaries, but was then defeated by Foster in both the March special election and the November general election for a full, two-year term.
However, Tuesday evening, as the final numbers came in, Ethan Hastert conceded the race and offered his support to Hultgren.
Hastert said it is important to the Republican Party to defeat Foster in November.
"I am humbled by the outpouring of support we received from volunteers and voters throughout this long campaign," Hastert said, adding that Hultgren was a "formidable opponent, in part, because he and I entered this race for the same reasons."
"Senator Hultgren and I believe that the voters of the 14th Congressional District deserve a representative who will fight to restore smaller government with less spending and lower taxes. Tonight, when I called Randy to congratulate him, I offered him my help in the campaign ahead. It is important that the Republican Party enter the November general election unified," Hastert said.
Hastert suggested, however, that Hultgren could also win the November election "with the support of independent voters and like-minded Democrats."
Hultgren said Hastert was "very gracious."
"It was a very nice conversation," he said. "(Hastert) offered his congratulations to me, but also his support of my continued candidacy. So I thanked him and welcomed that, and look forward to being able to work together."
Hultgren said the campaign going into the November election against Foster would focus on the growth of the federal government.
"I think an overarching theme or issue will be the core philosophy of the role of government," he said. "I think there's a very clear difference between myself and the current congressman of, what is the role of the federal government. I believe in smaller government, more accountability, ethics reform, less spending, and allowing people to be able to keep more of their own money in their own pockets."
Hultgren said he would also focus on job creation in the 14th District.
"A big part of that is a recognition that we need to get government out of the way of job creators and allow them to thrive once again," he said.
Hultgren, who resides in Winfield Township with his wife and four children, has served in the state Senate since 2007. He served in the state House from 1999 until his election to the Senate, and prior to serving in the General Assembly, he served five years on the DuPage County Board and Forest Preserve Board.
Hultgren, 43, is a 1988 graduate of Bethel University and received a law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1993 and is a financial advisor.
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