Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania’s Columns
  • Advertise
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Aaron Hanania
      • Steve Metsch
      • Steve Neuhaus
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
    • Submit a Press Release
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Seniors
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Toggle search form
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Court orders ex to provide transportation so Dad can see his daughter Civil Rights
  • Brandon Johnson leads a protest demanding to defund the Police. Phot courtesy of the Vallas for Mayor Campaign
    Johnson Refuses to Answer Whether He Would Pursue Stricter Penalties for Repeat Gun Offenders At WGN Debate  Chicago
  • Orland Fire Protection District extinguish fire in apartment building at 144th and Ravinia Sunday Jan. 30, 2022
    One fatality in Orland Hills Home fire Cook County
  • Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau continues to lie and slander people Blogger
  • Writing my very first news story that ran in the Messenger Press Baby Boomers
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Senator Michael Hastings supports bill to protect consumers from pesky auto-renewal charges Features
  • Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8 Entertainment
  • Paul Vallas candidate for Chicago Mayor 2023. Photo courtesy of the Paul Vallas website
    Paul Vallas calls out Johnson’s lies walking back calls to defund and undermine police Chicago
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Psychological support for divorcing dads topic of CLE at Leving firm Chicago
  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east.
    Whoa is Wu’s House in Palos Park Blogger
  • Pekau campaign signs violate village ordinances News
  • Rotary Club of Orland Park Logo
    Orland Park Rotary offering scholarships to graduating seniors Education
  • Carl Sandburg High School, Orland Park, School District 230
    Carl Sandburg band invited to London’s New Year’s Day Parade 2024;  Education
  • Higher Education veteran Tracy Sullivan announces candidacy for Moraine Valley Board News
  • Chicago ALderman Raymond Lopez announces his candidacy for Mayor of Chicago on Wednesday April 6, 2022. Photo courtesy of Ray Lopez announcement video
    Lopez and O’Shea endorse Vallas in Chicago mayor race Chicago
Congressman Sean Casten

Rep. Sean Casten Declares Victory in Illinois 6th District

Posted on November 8, 2022November 8, 2022 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Rep. Sean Casten Declares Victory in Illinois 6th District
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Loading

Rep. Sean Casten declares victory in Illinois 6th District

Democrat Sean Casten defeated a challenge from extremist Republican Keith Pekau in Tuesday’s Midterm election. Although Republicans were sweeping elections around the country taking control of the U.S. House from Democrats — and possibly taking control of the U.S. Senate although that has yet to be decided — Pekau was unable to muster the support her needed to win.

By Ray Hanania

With 97 percent of the vote reporting, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) declared victory in his re-election to the Illinois’ 6th Congressional district seat over rightwing challenger and Orland Park Mayor, Keith Pekau.

Despite a strong Republican vote surge across the nation pushed by the Midterm elections in which the party that holds the White House loses the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, Pekau, a Republican, was unable to unseat Casten, a Democrat, who has held the seat in the old 6th District for two terms. The two fought in the new 6th District which included parts of the old 3rd District.

For most of the evening, Pekau held a slight lead as votes were counted, and the two candidates often ran neck-and-neck with only a few hundreds votes separating them. But as the count continued and the evening went on, the votes for the two candidates separated quickly and Casten picked up more than 20,000 votes from the Cook County portion of the district.

With 98 percent of the votes tabulated, unofficial vote totals showed Casten held 54 percent or 142,686 votes compared to Pekau who trailed with only 46 percent or only 122,950 votes. Casten’s strong landslide victory over Pekau is a stark rejection of Pekau’s far rightwing extremist politics that dominated his political career which  evolved after he became mayor of Orland Park in April 2017.

Congressman Sean Casten
Congressman Sean Casten

But after becoming Mayor, Pekau quickly proceeded to embrace a more radical agenda, personally attacking other community leaders and journalists and exaggerating his performance in office. Pekau also eliminated differing voices and consolidated the village into one-man control eliminating the village’s independent committees and often using his mayoral seat as a platform for his politics rather than addressing the village’s needs.

Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau lectures the state on how his administration has "led the way" in refusing to abide by state directives to confront the COVID threat that has taken more than 900,000 American lives during a board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022 and then used the speech as the basis for a fundraiser solicitation for his candidacy for Congress
Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau lectures the state on how his administration has “led the way” in refusing to abide by state directives to confront the COVID threat that has taken more than 900,000 American lives during a board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022 and then used the speech as the basis for a fundraiser solicitation for his candidacy for Congress

Pekau apparently failed to benefit from the Midterm election cycle in which the party that controls the White House, in this case Democrats, lose control of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate in a backlash political sweep. That Republican sweep however faltered at Pekau’s doorstep dashing his ambitions for higher office.

Pekau’s election defeat is a repudiation of his claimed leadership.

Unofficial vote totals fromt he Nov. 8, 2022 General Election contest in which Congressman Sean Casten beat down rightwing rival Keith Pekau in a landslide sweep of the new 6th District.
Unofficial vote totals from the Nov. 8, 2022 General Election contest in which Congressman Sean Casten beat down rightwing rival Keith Pekau in a landslide sweep of the new 6th District.

Casten, on the other hand, built up a coalition of supporters and a campaign based on consistent policies.

Rep. Sean Casten released the following statement after declaring victory around 10:30 PM on Tuesday evening:

“First and foremost, thank you. I ran for Congress in 2018 on the premise that there’s an awful lot more that unites us than divides us. That felt like a naive thing to say at the time.  After all, the 6th District hadn’t voted for a Democrat in 50 years. 

“In the conversations I had with folks across the district, I found a shared set of values. We believe in kindness and decency. We believe in science and democracy. We believe that women deserve the right to make their own health care decisions, and that we’re only as good as the world we leave behind to our children.

“The 2018 election was focused on playing defense against the division driven by the former president. In 2020, we worked to fix what was broken in our democracy and focused on recovering from massive economic collapse and a raging pandemic. And now, the 2022 election is about building on the foundation that we’ve created.

“Over the last two years, we’ve passed the single largest investment in climate action in United States history and the first meaningful gun reform bill in 30 years. We passed legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs and fix our roads and bridges. We’ve created millions of jobs and brought manufacturing back to the United States.

“Tonight, the people of the 6th District sent a resounding message that this is something we can build on.

“To all who helped make tonight possible—thank you. Every door you knocked, call you made, yard sign you put out, or postcard you sent propelled us to victory. You have a lot to be proud of, and you deserve to celebrate.

“To the voters—since 2018, you have given me a tremendous amount of trust to represent your values in Congress. For this, I am forever grateful.

“Thank you.”

Congressman Sean Casten’s bio:

As a scientist, clean energy entrepreneur and CEO, and now as a Member of Congress representing the western suburbs of Chicago, Congressman Sean Casten has dedicated his life to fighting climate change. Casten draws upon his previous private sector experience in Congress to craft market-based solutions to reduce emissions while creating jobs and spurring economic growth. 

Casten serves on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and is the Vice Chair of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets. He also serves as Co-Chair on the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force.

Rep. Casten has a Master of Engineering Management and a Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. While at Dartmouth, he did fundamental research in thermophilic fermentation technology to produce cellulosic ethanol and engineering analyses of integrated ethanol, heat, and power plants. 

Casten worked as a clean energy consultant and manager at Arthur D. Little, then served as the president and CEO of Turbosteam Corporation, which focused on utilizing energy recycling technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by generating heat and power from previously wasted energy. In 2006, Casten co-founded Recycled Energy Development (RED), which focused on recycling wasted energy and converting energy facilities to cleaner, more economic uses. 

Casten was a founding chairman of the Northeast CHP Initiative, a nonprofit advocacy organization with a mission to advance policies that favor energy efficiency in the Northeast United States. 

While working diligently in Washington on behalf of Illinois’ 6th Congressional District, Rep. Casten is also committed to keeping in close contact with his constituents. To date, he has held over 50 town halls and over 400 community events. 

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Court orders ex to provide transportation so Dad can see his daughter - March 23, 2023
  • Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau continues to lie and slander people - March 21, 2023
  • Writing my very first news story that ran in the Messenger Press - March 19, 2023
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Cook County, DuPage, elections, Government, National, News, Orland Park, Politics, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:2022, 6th District, Congress, Democrats, election, Keith Pekau, November 8, Orland Park, radical rightwing voices, Republican, Sean Casten

Post navigation

Previous Post: Orland Park Home fire, Avenida Del Este Monday evening, Nov. 7, 2022
Next Post: Order of protection keeps dad from his daughters until he fights in court and wins

Related Posts

  • Chicago Wolves Hockey. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Wolves
    Chicago Wolves Magic Number drops to 1 in big rally win over Texas Stars Chicago
  • $400,000 to remove a football field? News
  • Chicago Wolves Food Drive
    Chicago Wolves host food drive Saturday April 24 Chicago
  • Manuel Venegas, press secretary for Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas names Manuel Venegas as her new Press Secretary Cook County
  • Lyons girls tennis preview News
  • Launching Summit’s future Government

More Related Articles

Pop's Italian Beef in Chicago. 10337 S. Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60655. Phone (773)239-1243 Pop’s Italian Beef & Sausage Launches Holiday Give-Back Initiative with Toys for Tots  Business
Chicago Vehicle Sticker courtesy of the Chicago City Clerk Quinn ordinances reduces Chicago Vehicle Sticker costs for seniors Baby Boomers
Township of Lyons clerk retires News
Pat Tomasulo on the set of WGN TV Morning News with Larry Potash, Robin Baumgarten and Morgan Kolkmeyer. Photo courtesy of Pat Tomasulo's Twitter account @PatTomasulo Tomasulo’s comedy show at Beverly Arts Center was hilarious Chicago
One week into Lent, sweet reminder Features
CEDA offers scholarships to students in low-income families CEDA offers student scholarships for low-income families Education

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau continues to lie and slander people
    March 21, 2023
  • Writing my very first news story that ran in the Messenger Press
    March 19, 2023
  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east.
    Whoa is Wu’s House in Palos Park
    March 14, 2023
  • Foxx policies punish police rather than the criminals
    March 8, 2023
  • Pekau silences accountability to expand his political power
    February 27, 2023
  • Terrorist Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin who is guilty of massacring civilians in his war against Ukraine. Photo credit Wikipedia
    America should stand with Ukraine and set aside internal politics
    February 24, 2023

Subscribe

  • Ray-Hanania-Newsletter-300-wide-Banner.jpg

Trending

  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east. Whoa is Wu’s House... Whoa is Wu's House in Palos Park Residents in Palos Park thought they had t... posted on March 14, 2023
  • Orland Park Mayor Keith P... Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau continues to lie and slander people By Ray Ha... posted on March 21, 2023
  • Brandon Johnson leads a protest demanding to defund the Police. Phot courtesy of the Vallas for Mayor Campaign Johnson Refuses to Answer... Johnson Refuses to Answer Whether He Would Pursue Stricter Penalties for Re... posted on March 22, 2023
  • Karie Friling the former Director of Development Services and former Asst. Village Manager for Orland Park, Illinois, discusses with host Ray Hanania, the proposed referendum introduced and pushed by Mayor keith Pekau to eliminate the professional Village Manager and Managerial Form of Government. Former Orland Park Asst V... Former Orland Park Asst Village Manager analyzes misguided referendum to el... posted on February 23, 2023
  • Pekau campaign signs viol... Pekau campaign signs violate village ordinances Pekau and his endorsed cand... posted on March 13, 2023
  • NEWS
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Court orders ex to provide transportation so Dad can see his daughter
    March 23, 2023
  • Brandon Johnson leads a protest demanding to defund the Police. Phot courtesy of the Vallas for Mayor Campaign
    Johnson Refuses to Answer Whether He Would Pursue Stricter Penalties for Repeat Gun Offenders At WGN Debate 
    March 22, 2023
  • Orland Fire Protection District extinguish fire in apartment building at 144th and Ravinia Sunday Jan. 30, 2022
    One fatality in Orland Hills Home fire
    March 22, 2023
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Senator Michael Hastings supports bill to protect consumers from pesky auto-renewal charges
    March 18, 2023
  • Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    March 17, 2023
  • Paul Vallas candidate for Chicago Mayor 2023. Photo courtesy of the Paul Vallas website
    Paul Vallas calls out Johnson’s lies walking back calls to defund and undermine police
    March 15, 2023
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

The Political Pundit

Political Pundit Aug. 24, 2021. Taliban thanks president for boxes of MAGA hats
  • WORD PRESS REVIEWS
  • MyCloud by Western Digital, a hard drive that doesn't last. Don't purchase Western Digital.
    Western Digital tubes its loyal customers for profit
    October 17, 2021
  • Macho Themes website front page. Don't buy their themes. They don't work
    Difficulties with Macho Themes for WordPress
    August 21, 2021
  • TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Senator Michael Hastings supports bill to protect consumers from pesky auto-renewal charges
    March 18, 2023
  • Wreaths Across America Radio logo
    Wreaths Across America Radio Announces New Strategic Partnerships with Veteran Radio Programs
    February 6, 2023
  • Dr. Helen Edwards Fermilab particle physicist
    Foster, Durbin, Duckworth introduce resolution to name Fermilab Research Center after renowned physicist Dr. Helen Edwards
    February 3, 2023

Follow Ray Hanania at
Gab.com, MeWe.com
IDobbinate.com,
Twitter, Facebook

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

First Installment of the Property Tax

What We’re Reading

Arab News Newspaper Leading English Language Publication in the GulfArab News Newspaper

Ray Hanania on Politics
SW News Newspaper Group

  • SPORTS
  • Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    March 17, 2023
  • Chicago Wolves 2022-2023 season
    Chicago Wolves top Stars for second win in a row
    October 25, 2022
  • Stagg Marching Band Pit Crew as efficient as a NASCAR pit stop! The team that does a lot of the work to help the Stagg High school band perform works behind the scenes like a NASCAR pit stop. The students are profiled in this feature
    Stagg Marching Band Pit Crew as efficient as a NASCAR pit stop!
    August 31, 2022
  • Soccer. Photo by Md Mahdi on Unsplash
    International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium
    August 7, 2022
  • NEWS RELEASES
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Psychological support for divorcing dads topic of CLE at Leving firm
    March 14, 2023
  • Tony Award Winner Robert Falls returns to Goodman Theatre to direct his adaptation of "The Cherry Orchard" Photo courtesy Goodman Theatre
    Tony Award Winner Robert Falls returns to Goodman Theatre to direct his adaptation of “The Cherry Orchard”
    March 6, 2023
  • Popular Ziyad Brand Green Za'ater. Photo courtesy of Ziyad Brothers
    Ziyad Brothers reports that the appeal of Mediterranean foods continues to rise among consumers
    February 16, 2023
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    No-contact order protects child from reported abuse
    February 16, 2023
  • Author Patrick Girondi
    Prominent producer to write screen adaptation of story on the fight against Thalassemia
    February 8, 2023
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east.
    Whoa is Wu’s House in Palos Park
    March 14, 2023
  • Popular Ziyad Brand Green Za'ater. Photo courtesy of Ziyad Brothers
    Ziyad Brothers reports that the appeal of Mediterranean foods continues to rise among consumers
    February 16, 2023
  • Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar
    Cook County Announces Call for Transportation and Community Grant Program Applications
    January 23, 2023
  • money $20 dollar bill, dollars, cash
    Buckner unveils plan to help businesses and strengthen job
    January 19, 2023

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Click this link to watch or use the widget below:

Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.
Email Ray Hanania for more information about performing at your event at rghanania@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme