Biggert beats back challenge in 13th Congressional District

Six-term U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert easily beat back a challenge from Democrat Scott Harper in the closely watched 13th Congressional District race.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Biggert won with 64 percent of the vote compared to Harper's 36 percent, according to unofficial results.

Biggert said she felt “the wind at our back” throughout the campaign a far cry from just two years ago, when Barack Obama won 54 percent of the vote in traditionally Republican DuPage County and Harper made a strong showing in his bid to unseat her.

“There's been a huge change in the atmosphere,” the 73-year-old Hinsdale Republican said. “I think tonight voters sent a clear message to Washington that they wanted a new direction.”

With the projected reclaimed majority in the House, the Republicans “have an opportunity to prove that we can govern and put the country back on track,” Biggert said.

The 13th District covers most of the southern half of DuPage, parts of southwestern Cook County and a portion of northwestern Will County.

During the campaign, Biggert said, she attended 14 town hall meetings and held two job fairs and found that people are “really worried and angry and scared.”

Both Biggert and Harper, a 49-year-old college professor and former businessman from Naperville, said job creation and retention was the top priority of their campaigns.

Biggert called the stimulus plan a failure, and said she supports extending tax cuts that are set to expire at the start of next year as a way to promote job creation.

Biggert, who was elected to Congress in 1998 after six years as a state representative, has been praised for her bipartisanship and willingness to reach across the aisle. She is a member of the financial services, science and education committees.

This year, she was one of only five Republicans to vote to repeal the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy.