Foster looks ahead, Laesch holds out

With Election Day barely in the rear-view mirror, John Laesch crunched numbers and considered legal action Wednesday, while Bill Foster set his sights on Republican Jim Oberweis and the March 8 special election.

Foster's victories Tuesday – comfortably in the special primary and by a slim, 351-vote margin in the general – secured the 14th Congressional District's Democratic nomination, though Laesch has yet to concede either contest to fill retired Rep. Dennis Hastert's old seat. Laesch's campaign set a 48-hour timeframe to watch for additional absentee ballots to be counted across the district, as well as to decide whether voting purported problems in Aurora and Kendall County might be worth a challenge to results.

"We’re not leaving anything out," Laesch's wife and spokesman, Jennifer, said of the campaign's options.

Among Laesch's concerns are the apparent use of incorrect ballots in Aurora, and either a lack of special election ballots or some judges not handing out Democratic ballots in Kendall. Aurora Election Commission Director Carole Holtz said several voters she spoke to did receive the correct ballot, even though they thought otherwise, and others who neglected to look at both sides of their ballot. Kendall County Clerk Rennetta Mickelson said some accusations of wrongdoing were just exaggerations of human error by election judges.

Foster's campaign declined to comment on the tight race with Laesch or the possibility he might question the results.

"We’re focused on the task ahead, not the past," spokesman Andrew Dupuy said. "Bill won the race, and he's moving forward to present his positive vision to the voters."

Dupuy added those voters gave Foster an "overwhelming win." Unofficial results show Foster, a former Fermilab scientist, with victories in Kane, Bureau and DuPage counties, as well as in Aurora. Laesch, a Yorkville resident, won DeKalb, Lee, Whiteside, Kendall and Henry counties. The two men collected about 64,000 of the roughly 75,000 votes cast.

Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said properly submitted absentee ballots can be counted for 14 days after the election, and the county's canvass should be completed by Monday. Early voting for the special primary between Foster and Oberweis begins on Feb. 22, Cunningham said.