Seth Lewis: 2026 candidate for Illinois Senate District 24

Bio

Office sought: Senate District 24

Party: Republican

City: Bartlett

Age: 58

Previous offices held: State Representative

Q&A

What do you consider the three most pressing issues facing the state in the next four years, and how should they be addressed?

Affordability, passing a responsible and transparent budget, and creating an economy that gives families and businesses a reason to stay and thrive are three issues that must be addressed.

Affordability: Property taxes, healthcare, and utility bills are putting pressure on household budgets. I’ve supported a homeowner-relief package that includes a refundable state property-tax credit, a first-time homebuyer credit, and relief tied to rising home-insurance costs.

Fiscal Responsibility: I opposed the largest budget in state history, which raised taxes by more than $800 million. Budgets should be developed openly and built around sustainable revenue rather than last-minute decisions and new taxes. Fiscal discipline also means preserving essential services, including support for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Economic Opportunity: Illinois needs a predictable business climate, a skilled workforce, reliable infrastructure, and policies that allow employers to invest for the long term. I’ve worked on addressing business competitiveness and utility-cost transparency because job growth and affordability cannot be treated as separate issues.

How would you assess the General Assembly's handling, to date, of the various proposals surrounding a Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights? What proposals would you have been willing to support and in what ways, if any, might you have approached it differently?

I have wanted the Bears to remain in Illinois throughout this process. A project of this magnitude could bring jobs, visitors and economic activity to the region. But wanting the team to stay does not mean agreeing to any financing arrangement placed before the General Assembly.

In the final hours of the legislative session, the Senate considered a different approach that would have allowed a locally created stadium authority to issue bonds backed by taxpayers. I raised concerns about that exposure because Illinois residents should not face higher taxes if a stadium financing plan does not perform as expected.

I would have preferred a more transparent process, with the Bears, Arlington Heights, affected school districts and other local taxing bodies involved before legislation reached the floor. Any negotiated property-tax arrangement should identify what each taxing body would receive and demonstrate whether the project would shift costs to existing homeowners and businesses.

The General Assembly should have worked earlier in the session toward a proposal that could be evaluated on its merits rather than relying on a last-minute alternative.

Now roughly three years into the elimination of cash bail in Illinois as part of the SAFE-T Act, how would you assess the success or failure of the criminal justice reform measure? What changes, if any, would you support?

My concerns about the elimination of cash bail began before the law took effect. I spoke with state’s attorneys, sheriffs and police chiefs, and I raised specific concern that the burden placed on prosecutors seeking pretrial detention was too high. I believed then, and continue to believe, that decisions about detention must give serious weight to the safety of victims and the community.

Three years of implementation should give lawmakers a better basis for evaluating the law than we had during the original debate. It would be inaccurate to judge the entire system by individual cases, just as it would be a mistake to dismiss legitimate concerns raised by law enforcement or victims.

The changes I would support begin with giving prosecutors and judges the tools to address defendants who present a demonstrable danger to the public. I would review the categories of offenses eligible for pretrial detention and the burden prosecutors must meet, particularly in cases involving repeat violence, domestic violence and violations of orders of protection. I would also examine how the law addresses repeated failures to appear and violations of release conditions.

Illinois homeowners face one of the highest relative property tax burdens in the country. What specific proposals could you offer to ease the burden on state residents?

Property-tax relief has to accomplish three things: provide meaningful relief to homeowners now, address the underlying costs that continue pushing property-tax bills higher and grow the Illinois economy so there are more businesses and residents.

I have supported direct relief, particularly for seniors and homeowners who are being squeezed by rising costs. I co-sponsored Senate Bill 642, which increased the income eligibility levels for the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption to $75,000 in 2026, $77,000 in 2027 and $79,000 in 2028. Seniors should not lose property-tax protections simply because Social Security or another source of fixed income increases while their property-tax bill continues to rise.

I also support a broader homeowner-relief package. It includes making the Illinois Property Tax Credit refundable, tying the General Homestead Exemption to inflation, providing a $500 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, examining reforms to the property-tax foreclosure system, and providing tax relief tied to increases in homeowners-insurance costs.

Gov. JB Pritzker recently paused a state initiative granting incentives to data center developers, and residents statewide have concerns about how such developments are affecting their access to water, utility rates, and the environment. How should the state approach data centers going forward?

Data centers and other advanced technology projects can bring significant private investment, construction, jobs and long-term economic activity to Illinois. I believe Illinois should remain competitive for that investment, while making sure development occurs in a way that respects local communities and does not place unreasonable costs on existing residents and businesses.

My record reflects that balance. I supported legislation establishing Illinois' quantum computing campus initiative, which included data centers among the eligible facilities for a major technology investment project. Illinois should be competing for investments of that scale and creating an environment where companies want to build and grow here. I also believe in transparency when utility costs increase. I supported legislation giving customers greater opportunity for public input when utilities seek general rate increases. Residents should understand what is driving their bills and have an opportunity to be heard. Economic development should not mean taking decision-making away from local communities.

Illinois’ “sanctuary” policies concerning immigration have made it a target for the Trump administration and critics who say they encourage criminal behavior. How do you feel about those policies, and how, if at all, would you change them?

My wife and her family came to this country from India when she was a young girl. Immigration is a huge part of my family's history. We need to support legal immigration, and the pursuit of the American Dream.

Immigration enforcement is a federal job, and I understand why local police want to focus on local crime and keep the trust of the communities they serve. However, if someone in the country illegally is charged with or convicted of a violent felony, local officials should be able to honor a federal detainer and coordinate with federal authorities before that person is released. That change protects immigrant families as much as anyone else.

I'd also like to see both Springfield and Washington lower the temperature. Our neighbors, many of them immigrants who have been here for decades, deserve enforcement that goes after dangerous people and not political theater from either side.

Many women in the legislature complain about a culture of sexual harassment in Springfield. Do you see evidence of this and, if so, what should be done about it?

Absolutely- The July report on former Rep. Harry Benton described a pattern of harassment against multiple women that went on for two years. It also showed that an early complaint to the Speaker went nowhere, while political money was spent to protect his seat. When the people in charge put winning ahead of protecting staff, that's a culture problem, not one bad actor.

I'd support these changes:

Any harassment complaint made to a legislative leader or supervisor must be referred to the Legislative Inspector General, even if it's informal.

The Inspector General gets full independence, including the power to publish findings without approval from a commission of sitting lawmakers.

Staff get strong protection against retaliation and a confidential way to report outside the partisan chain of command.

Staff and lawmakers of both parties should be able to come to work without fear.

Are you satisfied with the state's existing ethics policies for senators and representatives? If so, what about the policies should reassure Illinoisans that elected leaders abide by high standards? If not, what changes need to be made?

No. A former House Speaker was convicted of corruption, legislators have been indicted, and a harassment scandal was handled behind closed doors. Illinoisans have good reason to doubt the system's policies itself.

I would support:

A fully independent Legislative Inspector General with its own subpoena power, and the authority to open investigations and publish findings without permission from lawmakers.

A longer ban on legislators becoming lobbyists after they leave office.

Stronger disclosure of lawmakers' outside income and conflicts of interest, plus a ban on voting on bills that directly benefit a member's employer.

Term limits for legislative leaders written into law, not just chamber rules.

An independent commission to draw legislative maps, so voters choose their politicians and not the other way around.

I've made fiscal responsibility, ethics and transparency my priorities since I arrived in the General Assembly. Those standards should be written into law.

What personal qualifications do you bring that would make you an effective legislator?

My background spans the private sector, local government, and both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly.

After earning a degree in manufacturing engineering from the University of Iowa, I spent years in manufacturing, including as Vice President of Operations for a manufacturing business. Today, I run my own business as an independent insurance agent. Those roles taught me how decisions made in Springfield affect employers and families in the real world.

I have a record of working across party lines. Bipartisanship is not just a word to me. It is how I approach my work. My peers voted me “Best House Republican to Work With” in 2021 and “Best Senate Republican to Work With” in 2025.

In the House, I sponsored and passed Cal's Law to expand access to diagnostic testing for children battling cancer. In the Senate, I have co-sponsored bipartisan efforts to lower prescription drug costs, protect access to local pharmacies, improve consumer transparency, and provide property tax relief.

An effective legislator has to listen, understand the details, work with people who disagree, and know when to stand firm for the district.