Dee Beaubien thinking about House run
Dee Beaubien, wife of the late Republican state Rep. Mark Beaubien of Barrington Hills, is considering a run for Illinois House as an independent, she said late Thursday.
“Considering is the correct word,” Beaubien said.
Beaubien is thinking about a bid in the 52nd House District, which includes the Barrington area and parts of Cook, Lake, Kane and McHenry counties.
Beaubien said people had asked her about running for the seat since her husband's death last year. But in the March primary, Beaubien had backed state Rep. Kent Gaffney, a Lake Barrington Republican and former House staff member who was appointed to fill her husband's seat. Gaffney also had the backing of House Republican Leader Tom Cross' organization.
But Gaffney lost his primary bid to David McSweeney. a Barrington Hills Republican and one-time candidate for Congress. So Beaubien is thinking about a run.
“I would love for the voters to have a choice in this district,” she said.
To get on the ballot as an independent, Beaubien would need to obtain at least 1,500 petition signatures, a task she acknowledges would be challenging. So, she said, any reports that she's already made up her mind to run would be premature.
Still, Beaubien is already planning a news conference for later in April to eventually reveal her decision.