Foster claims victory over Lauf in 11th Congressional race

Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville claimed victory Tuesday in a snug race to keep his 11th District seat Tuesday night.

With 97% of ballots counted, Foster was ahead of Republican challenger Catalina Lauf of Woodstock 141,473 votes to 112,563, unofficial results showed, in a district that spans parts of eight counties.

Foster declared victory a little after 10 p.m. The Associated Press declared Casten the winner shortly after midnight.

“Voters in the 11th District have spoken: the Republican Party’s agenda is far too extreme for Illinois,” Foster said in a news release. “We need leaders who are focused on lowering costs for hardworking families, defending reproductive freedom and keeping our communities safe from gun violence -- not who work to divide us.”Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville held a narrowing lead Tuesday night in his battle to retain the 11th District seat.

Foster and Lauf, an adviser for a children’s nutrition company who worked at the U.S. Commerce Department under former President Donald Trump, are on opposite sides of almost every issue, with both toeing their party lines on abortion, gun control, the validity of the 2020 presidential election results and more.

Lauf drew local and then national media attention last month when she insisted that some schools, including in Illinois, provide litter boxes for students who like pretending they’re anthropomorphic animals – a claim repeatedly debunked as a right-wing hoax. When asked to share proof, Lauf offered none.

Foster and Lauf never met for a face-to-face debate or forum, nor did they ever interact with each other on the campaign trail.

Foster, who’s served the 11th District since 2013, ran a largely clean campaign. Most of his ads, mailers and public comments promoted his voting record and his professional experience as a business owner and a physicist.

But he did take some swings at Lauf, calling her “extremist” in one late mailer.

This was Lauf’s second campaign for Congress. She unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in the 14th District two years ago.

Redrawn for this election, the 11th District encompasses parts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20221108/foster-leading-lauf-in-11th-congressional-race