Rep. Casten defeats fellow Democratic Rep. Newman in Illinois primary

Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) was projected to defeat fellow incumbent Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) in the Democratic primary in Illinois’s 6th Congressional District.

ABC and NBC News both called the race around 9:55 p.m. EDT.

Casten and Newman found themselves in an incumbent-vs.-incumbent primary as a result of the decennial redistricting process.

Newman, who previously represented the 3rd District and whose home is in the new 4th District, ultimately decided to run in the new 6th District because a majority of her current constituents were drawn into it.

Casten lives in the 6th District, but only about 23 percent of his old constituents live there.

Casten, who was first elected to the House in 2018, has established himself as a wonk on climate policy. 

But Newman, a first-term congresswoman who ousted former Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) in a 2020 primary, sought to challenge him from his left, casting herself as a more progressive candidate and hammering him over his opposition to liberal policy priorities like the Green New Deal.

While he may have the power of incumbency, Illinois’s 6th District is still considered competitive this year and is among the Democratic-held districts being targeted by the National Republican Congress Committee.