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Hartstein announces bid for state House seat

Former Buffalo Grove Mayor Elliott Hartstein on Friday formally announced his candidacy for the state House.

Hartstein will run for the 59th District seat now held by fellow Democrat Carol Sente of Vernon Hills. Sente said last month she won't seek re-election.

Sente has represented the 59th District, which includes parts of northwest Cook County and southern and central Lake County, since 2009. She was appointed to replace state Rep. Kathy Ryg and was elected to her first term in 2010.

Hartstein ran for the 59th District seat in 2010 but lost to Sente in the Democratic primary.

Hartstein is the first candidate from either major political party to announce a bid to succeed Sente next year.

Hartstein publicly expressed interest in the job in September, and he told the media at that time he'd begun collecting signatures on a candidate petition.

He made his bid official Friday with a video on Facebook and a news release to the media.

In that release, Hartstein cited the number of state representatives from both parties who have decided not to run again in 2018 among his reasons for running.

Hartstein also said a Democrat should remain in the 59th District seat to fight against President Trump's moves on issues including health care and the environment.

"We need ... to protect our residents from that Trump barrage," he said.

Hartstein, an attorney, was Buffalo Grove's mayor from 1999 to 2011. He opted not to seek a fourth term after being publicly criticized for donning a black wig and mocking former trustee Lisa Stone the night she was ousted from office in a 2010 recall vote.

Before his time as mayor, Hartstein served on the Buffalo Grove village board and on the Stevenson High School District 125 board, among other duties.

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