Rep. Sean Casten has apparently survived yet another close electoral challenge, edging out Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau to return to Congress from Illinois’ sixth district.
Pekau called to concede the race to Casten just before 10:30 p.m., the Congressman said in a speech to supporters.
Casten unseated Peter Roskam in the 2018 election cycle, beating the incumbent by nearly 25,000 votes. He then won reelection over Republican challenger Jeanne Ives by nearly 30,000 votes in 2020.
He was tested again during the 2022 election cycle, when he was pitted against fellow Rep. Marie Newman in the Democratic primary due to redistricting. He defeated her by a 24,000 vote margin, securing 68.1% of the vote in the race.
Prior to his election to Congress, Casten was a scientist at the Tufts School of Medicine and served as CEO of the Turbosteam Corporation, according to his campaign bio.
Casten touted several pieces of legislation that he’s helped guide through Congress, including a bill that sought more affordable higher education for families and another that lowered the cost of energy for consumers while still battling climate change, one of the primary planks in his platform.
Pekau served in the United States Air Force prior to returning to the U.S., where he started small businesses in Chicago’s suburbs. He was elected Mayor of Orland Park in 2017.
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During his time there, Pekau’s campaign website says he cut operating expenses by 14%, paid off more than $50 million in debt, and reduced crime to its lowest level in decades.
He has been a fierce critic of the “SAFE-T Act,” and has argued that Casten has supported unfair tax burdens on residents while failing to address criminal justice and inflation-related issues in the district.
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The race between the two candidates was tight throughout, with Casten mostly appearing to be ahead in polls conducted.
