Innovator, scientist and now, politician
Foster's first week a full one
Wayne builds case against EJ&E buyout
Foster's first week as congressman a whirlwind
]]>March 23, 2008
(DAILY HERALD) — Bill Foster has a history of how he reacts when people tell him he can't do something.
He does it anyway.
In college, a leading expert in theater lighting told Foster and his brother that their plan for a new system was crazy.
They started the company anyway, and made it into a multimillion-dollar business.
At Fermilab, his bosses didn't get behind a new idea several scientists had for a new, more efficient way to study antimatter.
So four scientists, believing that their idea would keep Fermi at the forefront of scientific study, went to Washington, D.C., themselves to lobby Congress for the funding.
"We said, 'We think this is a good thing for the country,' " said Gerry Jackson, one of the scientists who went with Foster.
Despite their bosses finding out about the trip and giving them an earful, the scientists eventually had a successful project that netted them national awards and is still used today.
"If he doesn't think something is going to work, he won't push it," said Jackson, who now owns a business in West Chicago. "But he really thinks about what is the right thing to do."
Foster, 52, has been on a whirlwind tour of Washington and the 14th Congressional District since being elected to a 10-month term in a special election March 8.
Even though he's a political newcomer, he's long had a "recessive gene" and interest in political work, he said.
"I grew up in a house where it was discussed all the time," he said.
Though he grew up in Madison, Wis., his parents met in D.C. while his mother worked for Sen. Paul Douglas of Illinois and his father worked for Sen. Francis J. Myers of Pennsylvania. The family moved to Wisconsin, where Foster's father was a law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and worked on civil-rights cases.
Foster and his younger brother, Fred, were students at the university when Fred asked Bill to look at a piece of lighting equipment the school had recently bought.
Foster, who had been fiddling with putting together computers on the side, thought using a microprocessor to work the system would dramatically reduce the cost.
The duo began working, getting parts from a tiny start-up firm called Microsoft, to work on the equipment.
"It was a five-person operation," he said of Microsoft. "I have no idea who I was talking to, but it could well have been (Paul) Allen or (Bill) Gates."
The business grew into Electronic Theatre Controls, now the leading company worldwide in theater lighting, and it made the brothers millionaires.
Building the company took so much of Foster's time that his grades suffered and he and his brother stopped competitive sailboat racing on Lake Geneva, a longtime hobby.
"There was a time when I actually considered going out for the Olympic team," Foster said. "Some of the people I used to beat fairly regularly actually made it to the U.S. Olympic team. But that time just got eaten up by the company."
He raced boats ranging from 16 to 28 feet long in different classes. The draw of the pastime was all the different aspects involved in the sport, he said.
"Sailboat racing is this wonderful combination of physical work and intellectual work and then something that's just complete guesswork -- art almost," he said. "You look at the pattern of the water, and something in your brain says here's what it will look like three minutes or 10 minutes from now."
Foster left day-to-day operations of the lighting business to attend Harvard, but stayed on the board of directors. After graduating with a doctorate in physics, he began working at Fermilab in Batavia. He worked there for 13 years before taking a leave of absence to consider a job in national science policy after his children graduated from high school.
"I decided I would like to spend part of my life trying to make things better, instead of just getting unhappy or complaining," he said.
He began looking for a job in science policy in Washington, but after looking around, he decided against it because he didn't feel he could do enough.
"What I found in Congress was that things were just so polarized and partisan that if you were in the minority party, there wasn't a useful role for you in policy making," he said.
He switched his focus to elected office, and volunteered for the congressional campaign of Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania. Murphy, 34, is an Iraq War veteran who co-sponsored the Iraq War De-Escalation Act last year. Besides believing in Murphy personally, Foster wanted to work on that campaign in particular, he said.
"The people running the campaign had a spectacularly good reputation for running good campaigns, and I wanted to learn from the best," he said. "This was a campaign that was going to be an uphill fight, very much like the uphill fight we ended up running in the 14th."
...
Buoyed by Murphy's election and work, Foster began talking to local Democratic leaders about making a congressional run. He won a four-way race for the Democratic nomination on Feb. 5, putting millions into his own campaign, and then beat Republican Jim Oberweis in the special election.
The soft-spoken Foster, sworn in just three days after the special election, now has only seven months to learn the ropes in Congress before the general election in November against Oberweis for a full term.
For now, Foster has inherited Dennis Hastert's offices; he knows he'll be moved to less-impressive digs should he win the full term.
Jackson, who worked with Foster at Fermilab, worked on his former colleague's campaign even though he is a Republican. He said despite disagreeing with Foster on issues, he believes in the congressman who was "the ideas guy" in their work.
"You never know what the government is going to be facing, and what you want is a certain philosophy and character," Jackson said. "He's got two important things: intelligence and honesty. Those are rare qualities."
READ MORE
“I feel like I'm making a difference right away,” Foster said during a press teleconference call on Friday. “I'm just absolutely honored to be representing the people of the 14th District. It's an incredible sense of responsibility.”
A few days later, he voted against the House Democratic budget resolution, explaining that it did not go far enough in cutting taxes for middle-class families or in addressing out-of-control government spending.
“It's a vast improvement over (President) Bush's budget, but it's still not good enough,” Foster said.
He said his constituents elected him to represent them because he promised to be fiscally responsible. He explained that, in addition to the tax issues, the budget did not include realistic funding for the Iraq War.
“All the budget projections have underestimated the cost of the war,” Foster said. “Five years into it, people have a pretty good idea of what it will cost.”
...
He said he looks forward to meeting with former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert this week to begin work on transition issues.
“He has over 20 years of experience representing the district,” Foster said. “He has a lot to teach me.”
His next steps will be to choose a chief of staff and decide where to locate his local office. His next campaign is months away, when he will once again face opponent Republican Jim Oberweis.
“The best thing to do to get re-elected is to do a darn good job representing your district,” Foster said.
]]>Below is a copy of Bill's speech after his historic win for change.
Thank you Mark, Senator Durbin!
Thank you everyone, thank you! What a great night. Back in the lab, we’d say that this was a pretty successful experiment!
Today the voters of the 14th district were given a national stage on which to speak to the country and we sent a clear message to everyone in Washington. You demanded change and you are demanding it now. You have said loud and clear you want an end to the bickering and political posturing. You want reasonable voices and workable solutions to the problems that you face every day.
I have heard you loud and clear, and the nation has as well. Change is on the way!
I want to say thank you to the voters of this district for putting your trust in me. I’ve lived here for over twenty years, and as I campaigned I was even more encouraged and inspired with the strength, courage and decentness of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike. One of the great lessons that I’ve learned in this campaign is that I really DO like people – it’s only the scientists that drive me crazy.
I have just spoken a few moments ago with Jim Oberweis, who called and congratulated us on our strong victory tonight. We have a different style, a different approach, and a different stance on the issues, but he ran a hard campaign and he deserves our appreciation for participating in this great democracy. And we’ll be doing it all again in November, so I won’t say anything too nice that might show up in one of his ads!
With so much wrong in our nation — a war with no end in sight, a healthcare crisis that worries families when they tuck their kids in at night, and an economy that sputters under the poor guidance of an administration more concerned about ideology and attack ads than fiscal sanity -- people have long felt we are off course. This country has been begging for its leaders to listen, to change, to address their problems. They’ve searched for a voice their government would heed.
Tonight, our voices are echoing across this country and Washington heard us loud and clear: it’s time for a change!
And we did it together. I owe so many of you so much, but I’d just like to take a moment to thank just a few of those that made this happen.
To my children, Christine and Billy; to their mother, who is my ex-wife and friend Ann, to Aesook and every one of our friends; and my brother Fred who is the star of our business and a costar in our commercials, and to my mother, the finest secretary that Senator Paul Douglas ever had – I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I could not have gotten thru this without you. During this long year you were the ones who kept our spirits up. You were the ones who pushed us on. You faced the hard work, the long hours and all the stress with a smile and a can do attitude that made this campaign possible. When we began this campaign we knew it might get ugly, that it might get personal, because unfortunately that is the way some candidates have always run their campaigns and we expected no different this time. I was proud of the way our party conducted its primary, in this Special Election regrettably some of our fears were proven right. But during all the nastiness and behavior that had nothing to do with a serious debate about our country’s future, you didn’t flinch, you stood tall. And you showed a lot of class. I could not be more proud of you. Thank you.
And to the best campaign team in Illinois – thank you. To Tom Bowen my campaign manager, to Rachael and Matt who were there from the start, to Drew and Kevin and all of our field, finance and press people who helped us grow and put us in a position to win; and to Scott and the campaign veterans from all over the district, all over Illinois, and all over the country who guided us in for a smooth landing. And to all my political team, Pete, Keith, Jim and Jef, thank you.
I also owe a great deal of thanks to Labor and the AFL-CIO. Mark Guethle, our wonderful Kane County Chairman and one of the true leaders of this district, thank you. I owe a great deal of gratitude to AFSCME and SEIU who backed our campaign early and fought hard to help us win this election. From this day forward, Labor will be a force to be reckoned with in the Illinois 14th District!
I also have to thank Alexi Giannoulias for being the first elected official to realize we could change Washington. Dan Hynes, Phil Hare and especially Senator Dick Durbin gave us the crucial momentum we needed early. And to Jim Burke, the Democratic mayor of Ronald Reagan’s home town – and the first local mayor to endorse me!
This was a team effort from everyone in the Democratic Party and Illinois. Chris Van Hollen, Rahm Emanuel, and the DCCC came on like the cavalry over the hill, and sitting Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky was out knocking doors for us.
I also want to extend a special thanks to former Iraqi war vet and now Congressman Patrick Murphy. As many of you know I was inspired by Patrick’s long shot race for Congress two years ago. Patrick ran a come from behind campaign based on a commitment to change direction in Iraq and here at home. He showed me the way, and he was steady voice of support through some of those early, lonely times, and he never let me down.
But this campaign really was built from the ground up. So most importantly, I want to thank the hundreds of volunteers who showed up, gave us their time and efforts to make phone calls, walk the streets and get the vote out. From Alex Arroyo in the east to Jerry Sheridan in the west, you made this all possible, so thank you.
I began this campaign almost a year ago, because I believed our country was seriously off course. We were bogged down in an ill advised war in Iraq, and the Bush administration stubbornly resisted changing course. As I said during this campaign, I will be your vote in Congress to make that change happen.
The list of unsolved problems that our country faces is long. From getting our soldiers home from Iraq, to repairing a wounded economy, to universal and affordable healthcare, we have a lot of work to do – and that’s what I intend to do: to work. Not engage in the politics as we’ve come to know it in Washington. What we saw out of Washington these last few years is that even on those things we agree – covering more children with healthcare for example– there was no progress. Democrats wanted it. Republicans want it. But it didn’t get done. And nothing would give me more pride than being another vote, maybe THE vote, to finally override the President’s veto and expand health coverage to more and more children. For the next 10 months, that is the path to progress.
And no one has shown us that path more clearly than Senator Barack Obama, who shares this victory with us tonight. I want to thank Senator Obama for his support, but also for showing us the way. And for those of you following the election closely, there’s one more pledged superdelegate.
Senator, I’m happy to say tonight that “YES WE DID” and “YES WE WILL AGAIN” until the voters of this country have the change they deserve, an end to an endless war, an economy that works for them again and a healthcare system that serves us all.
Thank you to the people of the 14th who voted your hopes, not your fears, thank you for voting for a fresh, new start and thank you for voting for change.
]]>(DAILY HERALD) — Although the village of Wayne is a relatively small town, it is getting ready to make some big noise about the proposed buyout of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern rail line by the Canadian National Railroad.
Wayne residents and several political leaders gathered Wednesday to discuss potential effects of the acquisition, which has been meeting resistance from affected suburbs including West Chicago, Naperville, Warrenville, Aurora, and Barrington.
Elected officials, including newly elected Congressman Bill Foster, Congressional candidate Jim Oberweis, state Rep. Randy Ramey, DuPage County Board member Pam Rion, West Chicago Mayor Mike Kwasman, and St. Charles Mayor Don DeWitt were present for the meeting.
"They (CN Railroad) are coming to our town and they don't know what we are about, and they don't care," said Wayne Village President Eileen Phipps.
Currently, 4.4 trains pass through Wayne on the EJ&E tracks on a daily basis. If the buyout goes through, that number would increase to 24.4 trains per day in the first three years.
Congressman Bill Foster pointed out that CN's application to the federal Surface Transportation Board, which will make the final decision on whether the sale will go through, does not place limits on how much rail traffic will pass through the village beyond three years.
Foster, and eight other United States representatives including Melissa Bean, Jerry Costello, Donald Manzullo, Judy Biggert, Timothy Johnson, and Peter Roskam, have joined together in their opposition to the buyout, and have written a letter to the Surface Transportation Board urging officials not to approve it.
"The odds are certainly against us," Foster pointed out, saying that of the last 264 cases of this nature that have gone before the board, only one has been turned down.
"I intend to support you strongly on this because the arguments are pretty clear," he said.
(BEACON NEWS) — The learning curve for Bill Foster has had to be quick.
The new Democratic Congressman from the 14th District was elected, flown to Washington, D.C., sworn in, thrown into several key votes, criticized by the Republican National Congressional Committee, and flown back home to meet with constituents -- all in his first week.
It was just one way Foster realized how quickly things can move in the nation's capital.
"I am absolutely convinced that I will be able to make a difference," he said Sunday, while meeting constituents at the Jewel Food Store on Aurora's west side.
One thing that convinced him was voting on a resolution establishing a House Office of Ethics just four hours after his family -- including his elderly mother -- got to see him sworn in as the newest member of the House of Representatives. He turned out to be one of the deciding votes in a close count.
"Anytime I say, 'What am I going to be able to do as just one member of Congress? Does it matter?'" he said. "Well, I can say at least it did on my first day."
Foster met with long lines of voters, constituents and well-wishers on trips to St. Charles and Aurora on Sunday afternoon, most of whom mainly wanted to congratulate the new congressman. Still, Foster said the topics people had for him included "everything" from the war to the budget, from the recent election to specific problems they have had with the federal bureaucracy.
"I'd say half were here because they voted for me and wanted to meet me," he said.
"About one in five told me they had never voted for a Democrat before. I said, well, maybe I'm not the kind of Democrat you had to vote for before."
(DAILY HERALD) — It was not very long ago that a Democratic win in an election in the suburbs was stunning stuff.
Less than a decade ago, in fact, it was almost unheard of. When Jack Franks was elected to the Illinois House from a district in McHenry County in 1998, it was attributed to an anomaly. The conventional wisdom assumed he'd be little more than a one-term wonder. He's in the midst of his fifth term now, and since he first was elected, other suburban Democrats have followed him to Springfield -- to the point that it's no longer astonishing news.
In fact, in such a short period of time, Democratic might has grown so much that it even lured one Republican state legislator, Paul Froehlich, to switch parties and become a Democrat. That's the same Paul Froehlich who had been Republican committeeman of Schaumburg Township, once revered as one of the most conservative townships in the nation, the township of Don Totten. When it goes Democratic, you know that change is in the air.
And now we have a Democrat, Bill Foster, winning election to the congressional seat long held by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
It was surprising, but not stunning. Melissa Bean, a Democrat, seems firmly in control of the U.S. House seat long held by conservative Philip M. Crane. Republicans still hold most of the other suburban seats in Congress, but they know there is no such thing as a safe district anymore. Mark Kirk, for one, will have his hands full this November. Peter Roskam, for another, had his hands full in 2006.
What's the cause of this shift?
Undoubtedly, a change in populations and demographics has much to do with it. The suburbs are much more diverse than they used to be, not just in ethnicity but also in economic backgrounds. And the continued migration of Chicagoans out to the suburbs brings some of the city's unique political loyalties with it.
And yes, those changes to our population provide challenges to the Republican Party in the suburbs.
But the party's own self-destructiveness may have something to do with it as well. In recent years, it seems to have become less inclusive and more intransigent, more apt to get caught up in the reflexive Limbaugh-style acrimony that excites true believers but turns off large numbers who otherwise might warm to fundamental Republican philosophy.
(DAILY HERALD) — Well, that was quick.
Three days after being elected to an eight-month term in Congress in a special election, Bill Foster was sworn in as the U.S. representative for the 14th District on Tuesday.
"This is truly an honor," Foster said on the House floor after being sworn in by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Foster, a Geneva Democrat, thanked his predecessor Dennis Hastert for his service and said he wanted to work toward expanding health care, fiscal discipline, tax cuts for the middle class and "a new direction" in Iraq.
"I am a scientist, not a politician," he said. "When it comes to the issues that we face in this nation, I plan on approaching them as a scientist. And that means examining the facts, listening to both sides and doing what's right for the people of Illinois and America."
He said he planned on "getting right to work" in Washington, where he received a warm welcome Tuesday. He said he wants to work together with colleagues to find solutions to national and international issues.
Foster also poked fun at himself, admitting soft-spokenly, "As you can probably already tell, we scientists aren't known for our fiery rhetoric."
He plans to set up local offices soon and start work in Washington.
READ MORE
(Washington, DC) - Today, scientist and businessman Bill Foster was sworn into office as the member of Congress representing Illinois' 14th District. Foster took the oath of office on the floor of the House of Representatives beside his Democratic and Republican colleagues.
"It is my solemn hope that we have less shouting in Washington, and more problem solving. We need to work together for energy independence, for tax cuts for middle class families, to expand health care to more children, for a return to fiscal discipline and for a new direction in Iraq," Congressman Foster said.
Foster was elected on Saturday in a special election to complete the term of former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. The 14th District stretches across Northern Illinois, from the far western suburbs of Chicago, including Aurora and Elgin, almost to the Mississippi River.
"When it comes to the issues we face in this nation, I plan on approaching them as a scientist - and that means listening to both sides and doing what's right for the people of Illinois and America. As the newest member of Congress, my message to this body from the people I met during my campaign is that families across this country want us to act differently. At a time of crisis around the world and economic trouble here at home, Americans want us to end the divisions between us and work together to solve the problems we face," said Foster. "Many of the challenges this country faces are economic and they are technological, and as a scientist and businessman, I look forward to tackling these issues together."
"As someone who spent more than 20 years working in a lab - I can tell you without a moment's hesitation - that we, as Americans, have the intelligence, the ingenuity and the technology to solve the problems we face. I know we have the desire. Through bipartisanship we can achieve the changes all of us seek," Foster added.
Foster has lived in the Fox Valley - part of the 14th District - for over 23 years, where he raised two children. As a physicist at Fermilab in Batavia, Foster was involved with the discovery of the top Quark. Prior to his scientific career, Foster and his brother friend founded a company - Electronic Theater Controls, which now provides over 70% of the theater lighting in the United States.
]]>(DAILY HERALD) — Any election to replace a man who was but two heartbeats from the presidency is bound to generate attention. But when that unique Saturday election takes out Dennis Hastert's chosen replacement and puts a Democrat in the seat for the first time since the mid-1970s, it merely heightens interest in a national election already grabbing more hearts and minds than any in recent memory.
Democrat Bill Foster's rather easy win over Republican Jim Oberweis to fill Hastert's unfinished term clearly involved issues national, regional and local.
Surely, it reflected dismay with the Bush administration policies Oberweis tended to parrot without exception and Foster might have been helped by late assistance from presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Neither Oberweis nor Foster was particularly mainstream on issues during the campaign and neither had the sort of personal charm that helps win elections outright. Thus, this race seems to show the house-cleaning that began in Congress in November 2006 is continuing with voters demanding an end to divisive politics and expecting more than lip service on vexing national questions.
But there's little doubt, either, that the dramatic change also reflects a growing Democratic presence in the suburbs, a presence that in the 14th District was nurtured, expanded and first turned into votes by John Laesch, who ran well against Hastert two years ago and lost a narrow primary race to Foster in February. And voters never care much for a guy who refuses to take "no" for an answer, an answer they've given Oberweis four times now.
Beyond that, many 14th District residents were turned off by Hastert's method of departure, one that cost taxpayers a lot of money in special elections and presumed to set up Oberweis rather than leave an open field.
Many Republicans also weren't particularly happy at the way Hastert, Oberweis and the party treated state Sen. Chris Lauzen, who ran against Oberweis in the primary. Even if they didn't particularly like Lauzen or his politics, they felt the loyal Republican and hard-working representative was treated poorly. It isn't beyond the realm of possibility that at least some of Lauzen's supporters either chose to stay home Saturday or voted Democratic in response.
....
On Saturday, the data showed him as the big winner -- and a dramatic harbinger of change.
Thank you everyone, thank you! What a great night. Back in the lab, we’d say that this was a pretty successful experiment!
Today the voters of the 14th district were given a national stage on which to speak to the country and we sent a clear message to everyone in Washington. You demanded change and you are demanding it now. You have said loud and clear you want an end to the bickering and political posturing. You want reasonable voices and workable solutions to the problems that you face every day.
I have heard you loud and clear, and the nation has as well. Change is on the way!
I want to say thank you to the voters of this district for putting your trust in me. I’ve lived here for over twenty years, and as I campaigned I was even more encouraged and inspired with the strength, courage and decentness of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike. One of the great lessons that I’ve learned in this campaign is that I really DO like people – it’s only the scientists that drive me crazy.
I have just spoken a few moments ago with Jim Oberweis, who called and congratulated us on our strong victory tonight. We have a different style, a different approach, and a different stance on the issues, but he ran a hard campaign and he deserves our appreciation for participating in this great democracy. And we’ll be doing it all again in November, so I won’t say anything too nice that might show up in one of his ads!
With so much wrong in our nation — a war with no end in sight, a healthcare crisis that worries families when they tuck their kids in at night, and an economy that sputters under the poor guidance of an administration more concerned about ideology and attack ads than fiscal sanity -- people have long felt we are off course. This country has been begging for its leaders to listen, to change, to address their problems. They’ve searched for a voice their government would heed.
Tonight, our voices are echoing across this country and Washington heard us loud and clear: it’s time for a change!
And we did it together. I owe so many of you so much, but I’d just like to take a moment to thank just a few of those that made this happen.
To my children, Christine and Billy; to their mother, who is my ex-wife and friend Ann, to Aesook and every one of our friends; and my brother Fred who is the star of our business and a costar in our commercials, and to my mother, the finest secretary that Senator Paul Douglas ever had – I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I could not have gotten thru this without you. During this long year you were the ones who kept our spirits up. You were the ones who pushed us on. You faced the hard work, the long hours and all the stress with a smile and a can do attitude that made this campaign possible. When we began this campaign we knew it might get ugly, that it might get personal, because unfortunately that is the way some candidates have always run their campaigns and we expected no different this time. I was proud of the way our party conducted its primary, in this Special Election regrettably some of our fears were proven right. But during all the nastiness and behavior that had nothing to do with a serious debate about our country’s future, you didn’t flinch, you stood tall. And you showed a lot of class. I could not be more proud of you. Thank you.
And to the best campaign team in Illinois – thank you. To Tom Bowen my campaign manager, to Rachael and Matt who were there from the start, to Drew and Kevin and all of our field, finance and press people who helped us grow and put us in a position to win; and to Scott and the campaign veterans from all over the district, all over Illinois, and all over the country who guided us in for a smooth landing. And to all my political team, Pete, Keith, Jim and Jef, thank you.
I also owe a great deal of thanks to Labor and the AFL-CIO. Mark Guethle, our wonderful Kane County Chairman and one of the true leaders of this district, thank you. I owe a great deal of gratitude to AFSCME and SEIU who backed our campaign early and fought hard to help us win this election. From this day forward, Labor will be a force to be reckoned with in the Illinois 14th District!
I also have to thank Alexi Giannoulias for being the first elected official to realize we could change Washington. Dan Hynes, Phil Hare and especially Senator Dick Durbin gave us the crucial momentum we needed early. And to Jim Burke, the Democratic mayor of Ronald Reagan’s home town – and the first local mayor to endorse me!
This was a team effort from everyone in the Democratic Party and Illinois. Chris Van Hollen, Rahm Emanuel, and the DCCC came on like the cavalry over the hill, and sitting Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky was out knocking doors for us.
I also want to extend a special thanks to former Iraqi war vet and now Congressman Patrick Murphy. As many of you know I was inspired by Patrick’s long shot race for Congress two years ago. Patrick ran a come from behind campaign based on a commitment to change direction in Iraq and here at home. He showed me the way, and he was steady voice of support through some of those early, lonely times, and he never let me down.
But this campaign really was built from the ground up. So most importantly, I want to thank the hundreds of volunteers who showed up, gave us their time and efforts to make phone calls, walk the streets and get the vote out. From Alex Arroyo in the east to Jerry Sheridan in the west, you made this all possible, so thank you.
I began this campaign almost a year ago, because I believed our country was seriously off course. We were bogged down in an ill advised war in Iraq, and the Bush administration stubbornly resisted changing course. As I said during this campaign, I will be your vote in Congress to make that change happen.
The list of unsolved problems that our country faces is long. From getting our soldiers home from Iraq, to repairing a wounded economy, to universal and affordable healthcare, we have a lot of work to do – and that’s what I intend to do: to work. Not engage in the politics as we’ve come to know it in Washington. What we saw out of Washington these last few years is that even on those things we agree – covering more children with healthcare for example– there was no progress. Democrats wanted it. Republicans want it. But it didn’t get done. And nothing would give me more pride than being another vote, maybe THE vote, to finally override the President’s veto and expand health coverage to more and more children. For the next 10 months, that is the path to progress.
And no one has shown us that path more clearly than Senator Barack Obama, who shares this victory with us tonight. I want to thank Senator Obama for his support, but also for showing us the way. And for those of you following the election closely, there’s one more pledged superdelegate.
Senator, I’m happy to say tonight that “YES WE DID” and “YES WE WILL AGAIN” until the voters of this country have the change they deserve, an end to an endless war, an economy that works for them again and a healthcare system that serves us all.
Thank you to the people of the 14th who voted your hopes, not your fears, thank you for voting for a fresh, new start and thank you for voting for change.
]]>MARCH 10, 2008
(CHICAGO TRIBUNE) — Congressman-elect Bill Foster crisscrossed the 14th Congressional District on Sunday, stopping at buffets and cafes from Batavia to Dixon to thank voters as they dug into after-church piles of pancakes and bacon.
"Congratulations," Cathy DeHaven told the new congressman at the door of a packed Paul's Family Restaurant in Elgin.
DeHaven, 36, a lifelong Republican from Carpentersville, had been discussing the election with her husband, Gary, on the drive to the restaurant for their weekly Sunday brunch.
As Foster elbowed his way from table to table introducing himself as the district's fresh face in Washington, DeHaven waited for a seat and conceded she had voted for Republican candidate Jim Oberweis.
"I thought it was funny," she said of seeing Foster. "We were just saying how we felt bad for [former House Speaker Dennis] Hastert, giving up his seat and having a Democrat win it."
Gary DeHaven, 42, said the Republicans should have been allowed to appoint Hastert's interim replacement, but he allowed grudging respect for Foster's day-after tour of the sprawling district.
"It's expected of him," Gary DeHaven said.
Pausing during his own late breakfast with family and campaign workers at the Mill Race Inn along the Fox River in Geneva, Foster said Sunday was less of a victory lap around the district than the last opportunity he'll have to thank voters before heading to the nation's capital.
"A lot of our attention in the coming months is going to be directed toward Washington, D.C.," Foster said.
The night before, during his victory celebration, Foster took a call from presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, whose support included television commercials that some think may have helped sway voters.
"He said that I should enjoy the victory," Foster said. "I told him he had one more pledged superdelegate."
]]>(47%) Jim Oberweis
46,988 votes