When Congressional maps get redrawn following the United States’ Census, oftentimes incumbent members of Congress are forced to face-off, and in Illinois’ 6th District, two Democrats are squaring off in a primary to determine their futures in the legislative body.
Rep. Sean Casten, who defeated incumbent Peter Roskam in 2018 and then knocked off Jeanne Ives in 2020, is facing a tough road to a third term in Congress, as he will be forced to face-off against Rep. Marie Newman, who currently represents the 3rd District but whose residence is now in the redrawn 6th District.
Newman was elected to Congress in 2020 after defeating former Rep. Dan Lipinski in the Democratic primary.
Meanwhile, a field of six Republicans will be aiming for a chance to presumably take on one of the incumbent lawmakers.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Here are the candidates for the 6th District primaries.
Democrats:
Rep. Sean Casten
Local
Casten has won two elections in a row in a tightly-contested district, and he will face a unique challenge this time around. The Congressman is running on a platform that includes strengthening voting rights laws, expanding affordable health care coverage and promoting LGBTQ+ rights, according to his website.
Charles Hughes
Hughes works in the energy industry for Nicor Gas, and says that he is running to help promote civility and bipartisanship, according to a candidate survey from the Daily Herald. He is also pledging to work on a “Green New Deal” to combat climate change, and says he supports the Affordable Care Act and immigration reform.
Rep. Marie Newman
Newman, who defeated Lipinski in the Democratic primary in 2020, is running on a platform that includes universal health care, guaranteed family leave, comprehensive immigration reform, and an increased emphasis on green initiatives for businesses and transportation, according to her campaign website.
Republicans:
Niki Conforti
Conforti, who holds an MBA from George Washington University, says she plans to use her experience in the health care field to push for reforms to the system that will give more “affordable and transparent” care to patients, according to her website. She is also pushing for policies to ease inflation, provide more parental control of education, and is in favor of voter ID laws.
Rob Cruz
A business owner who has focused his efforts on generating interest in the Republican party among younger voters, Cruz is running on a platform to increase parental control over education, investing in renewable energy, and to incentivize manufacturing companies to locate their businesses in the United States.
Gary Grasso
Grasso, the mayor of Burr Ridge, is running on a platform that heavily emphasizes increased border security and energy independence, according to his campaign’s Facebook page. He has also been a vocal critic of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID mitigation practices.
Scott Kaspar
An engineer and attorney, Kaspar has pledged to push legislation that would protect and boost law enforcement. He also describes himself as a fierce supporter of the Second Amendment, has pledged to meet economic and military threats posed by Russia, Iran and China, and is pushing to reduce spending in Washington.
Catherine O’Shea
A small business owner, O’Shea is campaigning on a platform to provide more affordable housing, to build a border wall, support public unions and to cut costs on prescriptions and other everyday essentials. She also has advocated for a national background check for weapons purchases, as well as policies that would help promote energy independence.
Keith Pekau
The Orland Park mayor is running on a platform to increase penalties on criminals, according to his website, blaming policies in Cook County as “too lenient.” He is also pledging to give a boost to manufacturing, promote policies that would increase energy independence, and to fight back against inflation.
