Prairie State Wire

Republicans unseated incumbent Democrats in four seats in the General Assembly while only losing two of their own.

Republican Seth Lewis unseated Democrat House Rep. Diane Pappas in the 45th District election.

Lewis thanked his supporters in a statement, saying his journey started seven years ago with the passion to improve the state.

“At that time, it was just my family and me,” Lewis said in the statement. “Grateful to everyone who voted, supported, volunteered, listened and saw through the $10 million dollars of LIES - My Hearfelt Appreciation...this is a victory for ALL of us who VOTED and BELIEVE that ILLINOIS is a place that people want to live and raise their families! On behalf of my family- to all of you, my sincerest gratitude.”

In the 51st District, Republican Chris Bos unseated Democrat House Rep. Mary Edly-Allen. Bos said in a Facebook post that he wished Edly-Allen the best. 

“I want to thank everyone who rallied behind my campaign to fight state corruption and hold the line on taxes,” Bos said in the Facebook post. “Because of your efforts, our campaign was successful! Changing the status quo in Springfield will not be easy, but I am excited to work on behalf of the 51st district because LOCAL MATTERS. I also wish to recognize Rep. Edly-Allen’s public service and wish her the best.”

Republican Amy Elik defeated Democrat House Rep. Monica Bristow in the 111th District. She said when she started her campaign, her reason was to help those whose voices had been forgotten. 

“When I launched my campaign, I said I’m running to represent the forgotten voices of people looking for more favorable policies toward the middle class,” Elik wrote on Facebook. “To the endless number of volunteers, I cannot thank you enough for your commitment to the cause. I look forward to serving as an effective, conservative representative for the people of the 111th district as we work to fix the fiscal and ethics issues plaguing our great state.”

Republican Dave Friess unseated Democrat House Rep. Nathan Reitz in the 116th District.

“The people of the 116th district are ready to end the cycle of corruption and tax increases in Springfield,” Friess said in a Facebook post. “I owe this victory to the hard work and dedication of our supporters, and I will not let you down on pushing for ethics reform, holding the line on taxes, and ending reckless spending. I thank Nathan Reitz for his service and wish him the best.” 

State Sen. Jim Oberweis also narrowly unseated U.S. House Rep. Lauren Underwood in the 14th District.

“Here in Illinois, Democrats have total control of state government,” Oberweis said in a statement. “Many voters in Illinois are very concerned about what is happening in Springfield. They are tired of the high taxes and the lack of fiscal discipline at the state level. Voters voiced their displeasure with how Democrats have run Illinois by flipping four Democrat House seats to Republican and by resoundingly rejecting the governor’s progressive income tax amendment and voting to not retain Democrat Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride.”

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider said in a statement that they had expected to lose seats, but gained them instead.

“President Trump’s smaller-than-expected margin of defeat and turnout machine certainly helped us in our contested races for the Illinois General Assembly,” Schneider said in the statement. “It was widely expected that House Republicans were set to lose upwards of 5 members, particularly in the Chicago suburbs.”

Schneider said House Republicans were successful in unseating several Democrats.

“After getting outspent 5-1, House Republicans were instead able to net 2 new members after beating 4 incumbent Democrats,” Schneider said in the statement.  

The graduated income tax amendment also failed, with more than half of Illinoisans voting no.