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Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove on Tuesday night bested Republican Niki Conforti of Glen Ellyn to hang onto Illinois’ 6th Congressional District seat.
With 89% of ballots counted, Casten was ahead 181,508 votes to 157,464 votes, unofficial results showed. That gave Casten about 54% of the vote total.
In a statement issued after his victory was declared, Casten said he feels hopeful about the future.
“It’s the people of the 6th District who fuel that hope, reminding me every day of our shared beliefs and demonstrating their remarkable decency,” he said. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue this important work. Thank you to everyone who has placed their trust in me.”
Abortion was one of the many issues that divided the candidates. Casten is an outspoken proponent of abortion rights. Conforti, an energy consultant who also ran for Congress in 2022, supported the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and let states set their own abortion laws.
While Conforti defended Republican running mates Donald Trump and JD Vance for perpetuating debunked claims that immigrants are eating pets and wild animals in an Ohio town, Casten said comments like that “traffic in hatred.”
The 6th District includes parts of Cook and DuPage counties.