Biggert wins 6th term

The call for change was a popular mantra this election, but voters in Illinois' 13th Congressional District instead opted Tuesday for a familiar Republican face.

With 559 of 569 precincts unofficially reporting, U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert of Hinsdale won her sixth 2-year term with 53 percent of the vote against Democrat Scott Harper of Lockport.

The Green Party's Steven Alesch, 53, of Warrenville also appeared on the ballot.

"I'm a survivor," Biggert said late Tuesday of her hard-fought win. "I'm delighted the voters placed their confidence in me. I'll work hard to earn that trust, face our challenges and find solutions to our problems."

The race marked Harper's first foray into politics. The 47-year-old neophyte managed to raise nearly $827,000 - including about $190,000 he lent to his own campaign - to keep pace with Biggert's $1.2 million. Her largest backers came from the financial sector and insurance companies compared to Harper's support from unions and Democratic organizations. Despite her sound victory, it was Biggert's most heated general election.

Harper accused Biggert of being "asleep at the wheel," leading to today's economic turmoil. He chastised her for voting against the first version of the federal financial bailout and portrayed her as a rubber stamp for President Bush.

Biggert, 71, said she pushed for added federal insurance and more Congressional oversight authority before supporting the second so-called bailout plan.

She argued her challenger focused his campaign on distorting the truth about her record rather than offering his own solutions. Biggert, a self-described moderate with more liberal social views, such as favoring abortion rights and stem-cell research, hammered home her experience as a representative known for reaching across party lines. She listed the economy and finding alternate sources for energy and gasoline as her priorities.

"It really proves you can win with a positive campaign, which is how I ran," Biggert said.

The district includes southern DuPage County and parts of Cook and Will.