The Illinoize

View Original

Rep. Seth Lewis to Run for Senate

Freshman Rep. Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett)

Freshman Rep. Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett), who was drawn out of his House district and into a competitive primary, has announced he’s running for Senate.

Lewis defeated Democrat Diane Pappas last November in a somewhat surprising result. Lewis was chosen for the race last August following the death of original GOP nominee Mike Camerer, who died unexpectedly.

In the Democrat-passed redistricting plan, Lewis was drawn into a primary with Rep. Amy Grant (R-Wheaton). He’ll avoid that primary to run in the 24th Senate district, which is currently without an incumbent. Sen. Suzy Glowiak-Hilton (D-Western Springs), who represents the current 24th District, was drawn into a primary with Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) in the new 23rd district.

Lewis ran for Senate in 2016 and 2018, losing narrowly to Cullerton in 2016 by about 1,200 votes.

In announcing the run, Lewis says he’s interested in improving quality of life for people who live in the state.

“My goal as an elected official remains to make Illinois a place where people want to live, not to leave,” he said in a statement, though the population of his DuPage County district increased marginally in the new census.

It likely promises to be a top battleground in the 2022 general election as DuPage County has continued to trend more Democratic in recent years.

Patrick Pfingsten

@pfingsten1 patrick@theillinoize.com