Suburban congressional colleagues Bill Foster and Brad Schneider are backing two-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, of Downers Grove, in his primary bid for re-election against freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Newman, of La Grange, The Chicago Tribune reported.
In March 2020, Newman, a progressive candidate, unseated moderate eight-term Democratic congressman Dan Lipinski. She had narrowly lost to him in 2018.
The contest between Casten and Newman is the only matchup between congressional Democrats in the June primary since the map was drawn and approved by members of the party in the state legislature.
Joining Foster and Schneider in supporting Casten were 10 other Democratic members of Congress from outside Illinois, including Maxine Waters, of California, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee; Kathy Castor of Florida, who chairs the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis; and Don McEachin of Virginia, the vice chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Coalition.
Newman's home was drawn into a heavily Latino district that also encompasses the home of U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, of Chicago. She decided to take on Casten in the June 28 primary. Members of Congress do not have to live within the districts they represent.
Newman made news earlier this year by engaging in a war of words with controversial Republican colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene over Newman raising a transgender pride flag outside her own office. Newman has a transgender daughter.