After Catalina Lauf wins GOP bid to face Bill Foster, Democrat group calls her ‘extreme MAGA’

Democratic party leaders wasted no time going after newly minted Republican congressional nominee Catalina Lauf of Woodstock on June 29.

About an hour after The Associated Press declared Lauf the winner of the six-way GOP primary for the 11th District seat, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a news release slamming her as an “extreme MAGA Republican” and predicting Democratic incumbent Bill Foster of Naperville will win reelection in their Nov. 8 showdown.

Hours later, Lauf released a lengthy statement over social media in which she called on voters to “reject progressive extremism.”

“What we are fighting for is for the soul of our country, our culture and our economy,” the statement read. “What has been wrong has become right. This is unacceptable and we Americans and Illinois families will tolerate it NO MORE.”

With 95% of ballots reportedly counted, Lauf was leading with 15,189 votes, or more than 31% of the total, unofficial results showed June 29.

Running second was Warrenville’s Jerry Evans with 10,997 votes. North Aurora Trustee Mark Carroll was third with 9,822 votes. Susan Hathaway-Altman of the Geneva area was fourth with 5,909 votes. Cassandra Tanner Miller of Elgin was fifth with 3,671 votes. Andrea Heeg of the Geneva area was sixth with 3,297 votes.

In March, the National Republican Congressional Committee announced it was adding Foster to the list of Democratic lawmakers it was targeting this year.

“Republicans have the message, the candidates and the resources needed to take back the majority,” NRCC Chairman Tom Emmer said in the group’s announcement. “Vulnerable Democrats who chose not to retire will be shown no mercy.”

Lauf, who worked at the U.S. Commerce Department in 2019 during the Trump administration, touted her connection to the former president on social media last year when she initially was running for the 16th District seat.

She’s since said “legitimate questions” have been asked about the 2020 presidential election and has alleged “absurd mischaracterizations” have been spread about last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol.

During the campaign, Lauf, whose mother immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala, voiced concern about sex and drug trafficking resulting from illegal crossings at the southern border.

Lauf also is a staunch proponent of gun rights and an abortion opponent and she supports school choice.

“When elected, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring COMMON SENSE back to IL-11 and to our nation in Washington against the far leftist ideologies that seek to divide us,” Lauf said in her release.

In the DCCC news release June 29, Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney predicted voters “will reject Lauf’s toxic positions” and reelect Foster in November.

The 11th District includes parts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20220629/after-lauf-wins-gop-bid-to-face-foster-democrat-group-calls-her-extreme-maga