One of the more competitive congressional races in the Chicago area is the 6th District in Chicago's west and southwest suburbs.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Sean Casten, a scientist and entrepreneur from Downers Grove, is running for a third term. In 2018, he became the first Democrat to represent the 6th District in decades when he ousted longtime Rep. Peter Roskam. The district was a major target for Democrats after 2016, when Roskam held the seat even though Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won it by 7 points over President Donald Trump.
Casten won a second term in 2020 by fending off a challenge from former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, with the district serving as a sort of bellwether in recent election cycles defined across the U.S. by suburban voters trending more Democratic than they've historically voted.
The district boundaries changed with redistricting following the 2020 U.S. Census, shifting south to include more suburban communities in southwestern Cook County. The remap also resulted in a competitive primary this year for Casten, who defeated fellow incumbent Democratic Rep. Marie Newman in June.
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He now faces the GOP nominee, Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau. Pekau is an Air Force veteran and business owner who was elected mayor in 2017. He defeated six other candidates in the Republican primary and has since made law enforcement and crime a major focus of his campaign, specifically the state-level criminal justice reform measure known as the SAFE-T Act that, among several changes, ends cash bail in Illinois in 2023.
Meanwhile, like many Democratic campaigns nationwide, Casten has centered much of his messaging on abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this year.
Campaign finance records show Casten has outraised and outspent Pekau nearly five to one this election cycle as the parties battle for control of the House, making the 6th District race one of many suburban races that could impact the balance of power in Washington.
Illinois Midterm Election 2022
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