Foster wins third term in 11th Congressional District

Incumbent Democrat Bill Foster of Naperville will represent the 11th U.S. Congressional District for a third term.

With all 446 precincts reporting, Foster won with roughly 60 percent of the vote, defeating Republican challenger Tonia Khouri of Aurora, based on unofficial results.

"I was very impressed by the number of young people, millennials, who came out to volunteer for our campaign and to vote," Foster said.

Khouri conceded shortly before 10 p.m. She issued a statement thanking her volunteers and supporters and said she remains dedicated to the community.

The 11th District covers parts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties, including Aurora, Naperville, Bolingbrook, Burr Ridge and Joliet.

Khouri, who said she wanted to address poverty by connecting people with jobs that provide livable wages, will retain her seat on the DuPage County Board.

Foster says his experience as a businessman and physicist helps him bring a unique perspective to Congress. He said one of his top priorities is "making sure that the economy continues its methodical improvements and that the benefits of those improvements are shared by all Americans."

The 61-year-old wants to create a path to citizenship for immigrants and has vowed to take "serious action" on the opioid epidemic, which is something he believes Republicans and Democrats can agree on.

He also believes the federal government can be helpful in improving education. He supports reduced-cost tuition and an increase to the federal minimum wage to about $11 to $12 an hour to help students pay for tuition.

During the campaign, Foster maintained his support of President Barack Obama's decision to delay troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and supports three gun measures - an assault weapons ban, universal background checks and a "no fly, no buy" law - that are being denied a vote in the U.S. House.

On Tuesday, Foster said no matter the outcome of the presidential race, he knows "people expect the government to work as it was designed" and he is ready to get back to work and be part of that process.

In 2014, Foster won roughly 53 percent of the vote against former state representative Darlene Senger of Naperville.