Political earthquake: Foster to replace Hastert
14TH DISTRICT | Newcomer Foster defeats Oberweis, shifts House seat to Dems
March 9, 2008
(CHICAGO SUN-TIMES) — In a major blow to the Republican Party, Democratic former physicist Bill Foster on Saturday took the solidly Republican far west suburban seat held for the last 21 years by former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.
"Back in the laboratory, this is what we would say was a pretty successful experiment," Foster told cheering supporters in Aurora.
"This is a political earthquake -- who would have thought?" U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky said at Foster's victory party. "One would have thought that the DNA of this district is Republican. This means there's not a district in America that's safe for the Republicans."
The victory in the 14th Congressional District means Foster will serve out the remainder of Hastert's term, which ends next January.