Video: Oberweis, Foster apparent winners on Super Tuesday
With the vast majority of Kane County precincts reporting, Democrat Bill Foster and Republican Jim Oberweis will vie for the seat in the 14th Congressional district in November.
Oberweis, who was endorsed by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert and received more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary as of 11 p.m. Tuesday, is pleased with the win but said there's still more work to be done.
"This is just the beginning," he said.
He vows to follow in Hastert's footsteps.
"And I hope to do the best job I can," he said.
Fellow Republican contender Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-25th District, likened the campaign to the biblical battle between David and Goliath since he said he was outspent by Oberweis nearly four to one and Oberweis carried with him Hastert's endorsement.
"I was up against a lot of big money and a lot of big clout," Lauzen said. Democrat opponent John Laesch said he is not sure if he will consider another run in the future.
"That is a question you're better off asking my wife," he said with a laugh. Laesch said he received a lot of support out in the rural parts of the 14th district by almost a two-to-one ratio. He admits he slipped behind in Kane County, which he attributes to what he says is Foster's "endless slew of cash and mailers."
"It just shows that money still has an impact on elections," he said. A staunch anti-war activist, Laesch said he plans to stay involved in politics until every troop is home from Iraq.
"I don't know what capacity that will be but I will stay involved until we see that happen," he said.
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