Hultgren trounces Anderson in 14th Congressional race

Incumbent Republican Randy Hultgren appeared to be the clear winner Tuesday night in his rematch against Democrat Dennis Anderson in the 14th Congressional District. But the challenger didn't concede until nearly all the votes were counted.

Unofficial results with 467 out of 471 precincts showed Hultgren with 133,709 votes to Anderson's 69,621 votes. That's an unofficial margin of victory of about 32 percentage points. Hultgren defeated Anderson in 2012 by 18 percentage points.

Anderson attempted to run a more aggressive campaign this time to close that gap and woo voters. He called out Hultgren for being the only member of the Illinois congressional delegation to vote against ending the government shutdown. He repeatedly challenged Hultgren to several public debates. And Anderson also went on a town hall tour of the district to speak to voters in addition to his door-to-door efforts. He said he was surprised by the final vote total.

"The Representative won, and I did what I did," Anderson said. "It is what it is. The voters have spoken. But it's going to be interesting to see if these folks can govern over the next two years."

Hultgren spent the lead-up to the election engaging with voters in a series of community forums on topical issues ranging from navigation to the Affordable Care Act to the local impact of human trafficking.

In the wake of his victory, Hultgren pledged to help create a Congress that works for its constituents.

"It is clear that people are tired of politics and want an efficient government that works for them, not against them," Hultgren said in a written statement. "I will continue to reach out to those with other viewpoints and fight for common sense solutions while remaining true to conservative principles.

"I will continue to work to grow quality job opportunities for Illinois residents; make government less restrictive for small businesses, farmers and manufacturers and one that works better for all," Hultgren said.

Anderson said he had not yet considered whether he would take a third shot at Hultgren in two years.

The 14th Congressional District includes portions of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, DeKalb, Kendall and Will counties.