11th Congressional District: Bill Foster Faces Rick Laib

Lockport IL

02 November, 2020

1:05 PM

Description

BOLINGBROOK, IL — In March, incumbent Bill Foster once again earned the Democratic nomination and will now face Republican Rick Laib, who beat fellow Republican Krishna Bansal for their party's nomination in the Illinois District 11 primary. Foster, who has served as representative for the 11th Congressional District since 2013, was the winner against Rachel Ventura, leading 58. 7 percent to 41.3 percent. Laib had the edge over Bansal, and with all precincts reporting, Laib led 53.9 percent to 46.1 percent. Illinois' 11th Congressional District includes portions of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties. Return to Patch for tonight's local election results: Subscribe to free News Alerts Bill Foster Foster, a resident of Naperville, describes himself as a scientist and businessman, "a combination we need more of in Congress to deal with the challenges we are facing today and the numerous technological and economic developments our country will face in the coming decades," he told Patch in his candidate questionnaire. Reforming the immigration system is very important for the district, he said, adding that he supports comprehensive immigration reform that secures the borders, improves the legal immigration system, unites families, and provides an earned path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants who currently live in fear of deportation. He has also vowed to fight the opioid crisis in the district and has proposed policies that would expand the availability of naloxone and improve access to medical treatment for opioid dependency. Foster is also committed to fighting for infrastructure funding in the district. Illinois loses $40 billion each year to other states because "we pay far more in federal dollars than we get back in federal spending," he said. "We need to repair our roads and bridges that people use every day to get to work and school. We also need to widen I-80, a major thoroughfare for transnational shipping. This issue has become more important as Will County has developed into the largest inland port in the country," Foster said. Rick Laib A Joliet resident, Laib, calls himself a pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-free market candidate. He has worked as a police sergeant with the Will County Sheriff's Office. According to his Patch candidate questionnaire, Laib wants to continue to entertain budget changes that reduce spending, reduce the size and scope of the federal government, and employ sound fiscal principles. "Largely, we should turn our focus to reducing or eliminating programs that are underperforming, shift responsibilities that could better be handled by the individual States to the States, and look to see what services the federal government is currently providing that could be provided by private market," he said. According to him, Foster has not made "recognizing the sanctity of human life a priority" and has not taken a "strong stance against the farcical impeachment hearings." Related District 11: Rep. Bill Foster Candidate QuestionnaireBill Foster Sworn in to Represent 11th Congressional District11th Congressional District: Foster Wins, Will Take On LaibDistrict 11 Primary: Rick Laib's Candidate Questionnaire Want more election news and information about your town? Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.