Illinois

Here's a look at the Democratic candidates running for Illinois' 11th Congressional District

Published

2 years ago

March 15, 2024

Here's a look at the Democratic candidates running for Illinois' 11th Congressional District

Illinois’ 11th Congressional District covers most of Kane and McHenry Counties, along with parts of Cook, Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Lake and Will Counties.

The nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Naperville held candidate forums for both parties including the Democratic primary for the 14th congressional district.

Here’s a look at the candidates and their views on some of the issues discussed in the forum.

Candidates

Cong. Bill Foster of Naperville is the incumbent.

He’s a physicist and business owner and touts his role in helping to secure a deal for the Stellantis assembly plant in Belvidere.

Foster emphasizes his science background and favors incremental change in his approach to policy.

His opponent is Qasim Rashid, a human rights lawyer. He grew up in DuPage County and immigrated to the U.S. as a child from Pakistan.

Rashid says he’s tuned in to the struggles of working families and prefers bigger changes, as in his support for a universal health care model.

Healthcare

“30-plus developed nations have this model,” Rashid said, “and what it shows us, what the data and facts tell us, is that a universal health care model that prioritizes health care, not profits is one in which we would spend half per capita of what we’re spending right now.”

Foster’s take on healthcare reform is more measured.

“I have always believed in universal health care,” Foster said, “and believe that the most important the most effective pathway is the incremental pathway that we began with the Affordable Care Act.”

Aid for Israel, Palestine

“I believe that Israel has the right to exist and the right to defend itself,” Foster said. “But I have been deeply disappointed with Netanyahu’s conduct of the war. “

Foster said he favors the Biden Administration’s direction in the conflict.

Rashid said he distinguishes himself greatly from the incumbent on this issue.

“We need to ensure we’re protecting Israel and Palestine,” Rashid said. “And we do that by upholding international human rights law, demanding a ceasefire and unconditional release of all hostages and Palestinian prisoners, an end to the occupation.”

Immigration Reform

Foster supports comprehensive immigration reform and a bipartisan effort to achieve that. Also, he calls for more funding for the immigration court system to handle the backlog of asylum cases.

Rashid said there’s a need to protect asylum as a human right. He calls for a worker visa program and more funding for immigration courts.

Ukraine

On whether they would support aid for Ukraine, both candidates pledged their support the country in its war with Russia.

Increasing cost of living

Rashid says the problem is elected officials’ dealings with corporations.

“Multimillionaire politicians,” he said, “are more worried about their campaign donations from corporations who are exploiting workers.”

He calls for ensuring that ultra-wealthy pay a fair share in taxes, lowering taxes for working families and small businesses and guaranteeing universal health care.

Foster said the U.S. economy continues to recover from the COVID pandemic. He believes in raising workers’ wages.

“I am proud,” he said, “to support the protecting right to work to organize act that will ensure that every worker has the right to form a union.”

In the hour-long forum, candidates answered other questions, like the role of government in women’s healthcare and whether there’s a need to regulate social media platforms.

Other races

In other primary congressional races on the Democratic ticket in northern Illinois, U.S. Representatives Lauren Underwood of the 14th District and Eric Sorensen of the 17th District are running unopposed.

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Illinois

Voters had no choice in nearly 9-in-10 primary elections

Published

6 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Voters had no choice in nearly 9-in-10 primary elections

Illinois voting data shows voters had no choice of candidate in nearly 9-in-10 Democratic and Republican primaries for state and federal office in 2024.

Voters had no choice of candidate in nearly nine out of every 10 Republican and Democratic primary elections for state and federal office in 2024.

Analysis of Illinois voting data shows Democrats ran one or no candidate in 135 of the 155 primary elections for the U.S. House, Illinois Senate and Illinois House. That left voters with a choice between candidates in just 20 races.

Meanwhile, Republicans only ran one or no candidate in 137 of the 155 primary elections last year for non-judicial state and federal positions, giving voters of a choice in just 18 races.

In total, there were 155 primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois Senate and Illinois House in 2024. Democrats did not run a candidate in 28 of these races while Republicans failed to run a candidate in 50.

And in the 107 Democratic primaries and 87 Republican primaries were only one candidate ran for the position, those candidates secured their spot on the general election ballot with a single primary vote.

To get on the primary ballot for Illinois Senate, the Illinois General Assembly mandates established party candidates to get 1,000 petition signatures from district party members. Illinois House candidates need 500 signatures. For U.S. House, either party’s candidates need signatures from 0.5% of all primary voters from their party in the district.

This lack of choice between candidates for Democratic and Republican party primaries also left general election voters with fewer choices on the ballot.

In the 2024 election cycle, 65 of the 155 non-judicial state and federal general elections had only one candidate on the ballot. That means in 65 districts, it only took one vote for a candidate to win a seat representing the entire district.

Illinoisans already suffer from a lack of choice in candidates. Research shows an average of 4.7 million Illinois voters had no choice in their state representative between the 2012 and 2020 election cycles.

Research shows more choice drives voter participation and makes legislators less susceptible to the influence of lobbyists and special interests. Lightly contested elections also tend to skew policies in favor of powerful special interests.

Illinois should consider reforms that will give voters more choices at the ballot box, such as making it easier for independents to enter the general election like they do in Iowa, Wisconsin and Tennessee.

Until that happens, Illinoisans will continue to see elections with too few choices and too much influence handed to those already in power.

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Illinois

2 men shot, 1 fatally, outside bar in Morris, police say

Published

18 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

2 men shot, 1 fatally, outside bar in Morris, police say

MORRIS, Ill. (WLS) — A man was killed and another was injured in a shooting outside of a bar in Grundy County.

The shooting happened early Saturday outside of Clayton’s Tap in the 100 block of West Washington Street in Morris, Illinois, officials said.

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The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, where they found two men with gunshot wounds. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The victim who died was identified by the Grundy County Coroner’s Office as 35-year-old Julian Rosario of Channahon.

A suspect in the shooting, 22-year-old Marshall Szpara of Seneca, was arrested and “initially charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, pending further review from the Grundy County States Attorney’s office,” Morris police said.

No further information was available.

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Illinois

Firefighter faces arson charges after Illinois wildfire burns hundreds of acres

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Firefighter faces arson charges after Illinois wildfire burns hundreds of acres

A volunteer firefighter is facing arson charges after he allegedly set a fire in a Lee County wildlife preserve, scorching hundreds of acres.

According to authorities, 21-year-old Trent Schaefer, a volunteer firefighter in Ohio, Illinois, was charged with one count of arson in connection to a fire that occurred in the Green River State Wildlife Management Area Friday.

On that date, temperatures had soared into the 60s, winds were whipping at more than 30 miles per hour, and humidity plunged below 30%, leading the National Weather Service to issue warnings on the danger of wildfires in Illinois.

It is alleged that Schaefer was seen by witnesses getting out of a vehicle and igniting multiple small fires within the nature preserve, which then coalesced into a larger blaze.

Those witnesses were able to restrain the suspect until Lee County sheriff’s deputies arrested him.

Image taken by Lee County Sheriff’s Office

By the time firefighters arrived on scene the blaze had already spread, and multiple departments were called in to assist with the fire, including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control by the late afternoon, but not before it burned more than 700 acres, according to authorities.

Schaefer is also a suspect in several other arsons around Lee County, but he has not been charged in any other fires at this time.

Illinois State Police are assisting with the investigation, and no further information was immediately available.

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