Newman announces she’ll challenge fellow Democrat Casten in newly drawn Illinois district

Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) announced on Friday that she would be squaring off against Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) in a bid to take Illinois’s newly drawn 6th District seat.

“I am proud to announce that I am once again running to represent the residents of Chicago’s Southwest Side and our neighbors in the surrounding west and southwest suburbs,” Newman said in a statement. “The lion’s share of this new district is made up of the communities and residents I represent today and I look forward to continuing to serve them in Congress.”

Newman’s campaign announcement said the newly drawn 6th District included more than 40 percent of the congresswoman’s current constituents. Newman’s home is now situated in a district that is represented by Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.) under the new restricted Illinois congressional map.

Newman is in her first term in Congress while Casten is serving his second.

The redistricted map continues to favor Illinois Democrats and creates a second district seat with a prominent percentage of Hispanic voters. However, it also awkwardly pits some incumbents against one another.  

Earlier on Friday, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a prominent anti-Trump voice, announced he would not seek reelection next year, when his term is up. The new map had drawn him into the same district as Rep. Darin LaHood (R).

Casten in a statement said he had “never wanted to see friends run against friends,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

“I believe the shared goal of every House member is to maintain and expand our House majority and work on behalf of all constituents and community members who fought tirelessly to elect us,” he said. “As I said last night, I look forward to continuing to serve the people of the 6th district as we work to make historic investments in climate action, and for families and workers.”