Foster Declares Victory, Lauf Concedes In 11th District Race

NAPERVILLE, IL — The race for the seat in the 11th Congressional District of Illinois came to an end Tuesday evening after months of campaigning as the polls closed.

Incumbent Rep. Bill Foster (D), declared victory in a statement Tuesday night. He wrote, in part,

“This victory belongs to everyone in the 11th District who voted to keep science and facts at the forefront of our policy debates in Washington DC, and I am so grateful to everyone who worked so hard to make this victory possible."

Polls officially closed at 7 p.m. Results are not official. Check back to Patch for updates.

Here's where the unofficial vote totals stood as of Wednesday with 95 percent of votes tallied, according to Chicago Tribune:

• Rep. Bill Foster (D): 141,473
• Catalina Lauf (R): 112,563

Foster's statement continued,

"Voters in the 11th District have spoken: the Republican party’s agenda is far too extreme for Illinois. We need leaders who are focused on lowering costs for hardworking families, defending reproductive freedom, and keeping our communities safe from gun violence – not who work to divide us. As a scientist and a businessman, I will always stand up for science-driven solutions to the challenges we face. I will always fight for practical policies that will benefit all Americans – not just those at the top. I've never been prouder to serve the people of the 11th District, and I look forward to serving them in the 118th Congress."

Lauf conceded in a statement shared at 10:42 p.m., that read,

"Thank you to everyone who supported our campaign. I am truly grateful to my family, friends, and all the volunteers who dedicated countless hours to our effort. I congratulate Bill Foster who I urge to represent the values of every hardworking American here in the 11th district. For those of us who stay here in Illinois, we have our work cut out for us. This state is always worth fighting for. This country is always worth fighting for. We may have lost, but the fight for the heart and soul of our country is not over. And it begins right here, in the Heartland."

In June, Catalina Lauf defeated five other Republican candidates for a chance to unseat Foster.

Foster, who has represented the 11th District since 2013, completed Patch's candidate survey in October ahead of the 2022 general election. Lauf declined to complete Patch's candidate survey.

Bill Foster

Incumbent Rep. Foster, 67, was first elected to represent Illinois's 14th Congressional District in 2007. He was unseated by Randy Hultgren in 2011. Subsequently, Foster relocated to Naperville, where he pursued a seat in Illinois's 11th Congressional District and was elected in 2012. He has served the district since.

Before launching his political career, Foster spent more than 20 years working as a particle physicist. He worked at FermiLab and cofounded his own company after earning his bachelor's degree at the University of Wisconsin and his PhD from Harvard University.

Foster's background in science has informed much of his campaigning and voting on various issues. He is married and has two adult children.

Read on to see where Foster stands on some of the issues voters were concerned about in Tuesday's election.

Education

Foster, who favors President Biden's student loan debt relief plan, believes in using public funds to make public education more accessible.

His website states, "I support the right of every young person to have access to a high quality, affordable education that does not leave students with crippling debt."

After Biden's student loan debt relief initiative gained momentum, Foster remarked, "I applaud President Biden’s action to provide much-needed breathing room for countless student loan borrowers. Student debt is a serious economic burden for far too many Americans, and we must do all we can to support them as our nation recovers from the economic repercussions of the pandemic."

Gun Control

Regarding gun control, Foster favors greater regulations with the aim of improving safety. He supports expanding background checks for those residents who are interested in purchasing firearms.

Foster is also in favor of a ban that prohibits the sale of assault weapons in the United States.

After a bill to ban assault weapons passed in the House of Representatives in July, Foster said, in part: “Assault weapons are the weapon of choice for mass shooters — from Uvalde, Texas to Highland Park, Illinois — because they are designed to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. These weapons of war have no place in our communities.

Health Care

Foster voted in favor of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

According to his website, Foster says he believes that "adequate health care should be a right for every American."

Immigration

Rep. Foster writes on his website that he is in favor of "comprehensive immigration reform and policies that foster inclusiveness for everyone." He supports improving opportunities and creating more equitability for DREAMers.

Click the link to read Rep. Foster's response to Patch's candidate survey.

Catalina Lauf

Catalina Lauf, who was born in Woodstock, Illinois, is the child of a Latin American immigrant and a business owner who was raised in Illinois. After she finished college (two years early, according to her campaign website), Lauf began working in the private business sector as part of a startup company, where she is still employed.

In 2018, she was appointed as a special adviser to the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Trump administration.

Lauf's campaign website states, "I realized my passion was for people, public service and fighting for our American values (don’t worry, I’ll term-limit myself). I decided to run for Congress to bring Common Sense back to our State."

In June, Lauf defeated Republicans Mark Carroll, Jerry Evans, Susan Hathaway-Altman, Andrea Heeg and Cassandra Tanner Miller to challenge Foster in this upcoming general election.

Education

Per her website, Lauf believes that education in the United States is "indoctrination" in its current state. She asserts that she is against Critical Race Theory in classrooms.

Lauf advocates for for parents' rights and school choice, according to her campaign.

Her website states, "We don’t have enough leaders on the National level fighting against forced mandates, Critical Race Theory and other issues seen in our schools today. "

Health Care

Lauf has been unspoken about the impact she believes lockdowns at the start of the coronavirus pandemic had on the mental health of residents.

On her website, Lauf criticizes the lockdowns as "unconstitutional" and says they "destroyed our small businesses and impacted mental health."

She writes, "Whether it be the censorship of free speech or unconstitutional mandates and lockdowns, governments at all levels are working to take away the rights of its lawful citizen — our individual liberties are under attack."

Gun Control

Regarding gun control, Lauf is in favor of fewer restrictions on gun ownership in the United States.

In March 2021, she took to Twitter to rail against Colorado's gun control laws. She wrote,"Gun control should not be a *political discussion* it is a gross infringement on the Rights of Man and law abiding citizens."

Immigration

Lauf's website states, "To keep our communities safe and secure, we must enforce law and order at all levels, whether at our border or within our cities. A Country without borders, is no Country at all. As the daughter of an immigrant from Central America, my family and I know the value of a safe and secure border and the need for legal immigration. Furthermore, we must be tough on crime and support our men and women in blue, so we don’t end up like Cook County! I will be outspoken on ALL of these issues; it’s time for your Representative to have a backbone!"

Catalina Lauf did not respond to Patch's candidate survey ahead of the 2022 general election.

About Illinois' 11th Congressional District

The 11th Congressional District of Illinois encompasses parts of Aurora, Bolingbrook, Darien, Downers Grove, Joliet, Lisle, Montgomery, New Lenox, Naperville, Shorewood and Woodridge.