By Bob Bong
Three-term Congressman Sean Casten easily defeated two challengers in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in the 6th Congressional District.
“First and foremost, thank you,” he said. “Thank you to the voters who have entrusted me once again with their vote. Thank you to the volunteers who knocked on doors, made phone calls, and helped get out the vote. And, thank you to my wife, Kara, and daughter, Audrey, for all of their sacrifices.
“As we turn to the general election, we must remind ourselves what is at stake. I’m running for re-election to defend women’s reproductive rights, protect American democracy, end gun violence, and combat the climate crisis. Those are values that are shared throughout the 6th District but opposed by the far-right efforts that want to take this seat. I’m confident that, as they have time and again, voters will side with decency, humanity, science, and democracy.
“More than anything else, thank you to all who participated in this election. You are the reason the American experiment works.”
With 215 of 227 Cook County precincts reporting, Casten polled 20,346 votes, about 72 percent of the 29,451 votes cast in the district, which stretches from Orland Park to Lombard. Mahnoor Ahmad, a health care advocate making her first bid for elected office, garnered 4,804 votes, about 17 percent. Charles Hughes, who was making his third run for Congress, trailed with 2,973.
In the DuPage County portion of the district the results were even better for Casten. The incumbent received 18,729 votes, Ahmad garnered 2,496 and Hughes polled 522 votes.
Casten also easily beat his challengers in the Chicago portion of the district. Casten received 7,949 votes in the city. Hughes had his best showing in Chicago with 2,013 votes. Ahmad trailed badly in the city picking up 892 votes.
It was a far cry from two years ago, when Casten was in a heated campaign with fellow incumbent Marie Newman in the newly drawn district.
This race also pitted two foreign-born candidates. Casten was born in Ireland to American parents and Ahmad was born in Pakistan.
Casten is a climate scientist and he has championed climate change legislation since being elected to Congress in 2018. Legislation he has backed has secured more than $1 billion for clean energy battery storage and research and development of low-carbon industrial technologies.
“Last year in the United States, climate-related weather disasters cost us $176 billion. Climate risk is not going away,” he said.
He has also focused on families by fighting inflation, worked to lower prescription drug prices, and believes in gun reforms including universal background checks.
He drew some criticism from Ahmad over the fighting between Israel and Hamas even though he voted against more military aid to Israel until the U.S. provided more humanitarian aid for Gaza.
“The United States has a duty to provide aid to our allies in their times of need. That includes Israel, and I stand ready to support serious efforts to assist Israel in its absolute right to defend itself. Hamas gains power in the region in part because they are the provider of food, fuel, water, and housing. The United States must provide necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza to rebuild, suppress the power of extremist voices, and help ensure a more durable regional peace.”
Casten hails from Downers Grove but has made multiple visits to the south suburban portion of the district and has held town hall meetings in Orland Park and Palos Park as well as opening a satellite office in Oak Forest.
Ahmad had criticized Casten for ignoring his constituents stretching back to 2020 and the Sterigenics controversy, where he ignored constituent requests to meet his voters and address their concerns about a cancer cluster in Willowbrook.
Hughes was making his third run for Congress. His career includes working at the City of Chicago Water Department, the city’s fleet management, and for Nicor/AGL Resources Local 19.
The district includes all or parts of Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Park, Oak Lawn, Hickory Hills, Evergreen Park, Worth, Chicago Ridge, Palos Hills Bridgeview, Bedford Park, Willow Springs, Countryside, Hodgkins, and portions of Chicago’s Clearing and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods.
Casten will now face Republican Niki Conforti, of Glen Ellyn, in the Nov. 5 general election. She ran unopposed this time and had run for the Republican nomination in 2022.