Democrat wins seat formerly held by Hastert

A Democrat recently won the congressional seat formerly held by Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Democrat wins seat formerly held by Hastert - CNN.com

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CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- A longtime Republican district fell Saturday to the Democrats when a wealthy businessman and scientist snatched former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's congressional seat in a closely watched special election.

Democrat Bill Foster won 53 percent of the vote compared to 47 percent for Republican Jim Oberweis. With all 568 precincts reporting, Foster had 52,010 votes to Oberweis' 46,988.

"Tonight our voices are echoing across the country and Washington will hear us loud and clear -- it's time for a change," Foster told cheering supporters Saturday evening.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen said Foster's win is a rebuke of the Bush administration and of the GOP's apparent presidential nominee, John McCain, who helped raise money for Oberweis.

"This is going to send a political shockwave across the country in this election year," Van Hollen said.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who made a TV ad praising Foster, said in a statement that voters "sent an unmistakable message that they're tired of business-as-usual in Washington."

The National Republican Congressional Committee downplayed the significance of the loss and said the back and forth between Democrats for the presidential nomination shows that one election doesn't indicate a trend.

"The one message coming out of 2008 so far is that what happens today is not a bellwether of what happens this fall," NRCC spokeswoman Karen Hanretty said in a statement.

Foster's special election win means he will fill the remainder of Hastert's term, which ends in January.

The two will square off again in November, for a new, full term. Foster won a close Democratic primary by fewer than 400 votes for that race, although one challenger has initiated a re-count.

Hastert, 66, lost his powerful post as speaker when Democrats took control of Congress. He resigned late last year.

With Foster headed to Washington, the district will have a rookie congressmen after years of enjoying Hastert's clout.

Hastert, who was the longest-serving Republican speaker in history, didn't finish his 11th term. During his two decades in Washington, he funneled millions of dollars to the district that stretches from Chicago's far western suburbs to almost the Mississippi River.

During the campaign, Foster and Oberweis poked at each other with negative TV ads and clashed on issues from immigration and health care to the Iraq war.

Both men turned to high-profile supporters to help sway voters -- Obama for Foster; Oberweis had Hastert's backing.

"I'm really disappointed that we came up second but that's where we're at," said Oberweis, whose name is synonymous with his family's dairy business and his financial management company.

This is the latest election disappointment for Oberweis, who has lost primary races twice before for the U.S. Senate and once for governor.

Foster, 52, worked for 22 years at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. He got his start in business when as a young man he and his younger brother started a company that manufactures theater lighting equipment.

Hastert's is one of three open seats in Illinois this year because of GOP retirements.

Reps. Jerry Weller, who represents a district from the suburban sprawl south of Chicago to the farmland of central Illinois, and Ray LaHood of Peoria are also stepping down. Democrats' chances to pick up one of those seats improved when the Republican nominee to replace Weller dropped out of the race.

In southeast Louisiana primaries, voters cast ballots in two congressional districts Saturday to find replacements for longtime Republican congressman Richard Baker and newly elected Republican governor Bobby Jindal.

In Jindal's old district, state Sen. Steve Scalise had about 48 percent of the vote in the pivotal GOP race, but was forced into a runoff with state Rep. Tim Burns. For the Democrats, Gilda Reed, a University of New Orleans adjunct professor, prevailed with 70 percent of the vote.

The GOP race winner will be the strong favorite to win Jindal's district because it leans strongly conservative.

In Baker's old district, state Rep. Don Cazayoux had about 35 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary and faces a runoff with state Rep. Michael Jackson, who had about 27 percent. On the GOP side, former state House member Woody Jenkins with 49 percent of the vote was forced into a runoff with businesswoman Laurinda L. Calongne.

They are probably overstating the importance of this one election a bit, but still, it is surprising that this one would go to the Democrats. I think it is indicating a trend for this coming general election.

I remember some of the other big years when the major landslide elections happened, and this year has the same feel to it. In 1994, you could sense that the Republicans were going to slaughter the Democrats in the Comgressional and Senate races, and sure enough they did. Two years ago you knew it was going to happen for the Democrats. And this year you and feel it again for the Dems.

The Republicans seem dispirited, and a significant number are unhappy with their candidate. The Democrats are in one of the most exciting primaries in years, and are turning out for their primaries in twice the number that the Republicans are. The Democrats are bringing in money by the truckload, while McCain is getting a trickle. If the turnout trend extends into the General Election, with more Democrats than Republicans turning out for the presidential election, that will transalate into major victories in the Congressional and Senate races as well. This is going to be a bloodbath for the Republicans. Kiss goodbye those dreams of another anti-abortion, pro-torture judge on the Court.

It's a long way to November, but right now I think it's the Democrat's to lose.