Ethan Hastert to Seek His Father’s Old Seat
Roll Call Staff
Attorney Ethan Hastert (R) has filed to run for his father’s former Congressional seat in 2010. The son of former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) announced Monday that he has opened a campaign committee for his bid in the 14th district, according to a report in the Kane County Chronicle.
The junior Hastert told Roll Call prior to his announcement that he has discussed the bid with his father, who “knows I’m doing it for the right reasons.”
“He’s proud that I’m looking at doing this and rightly tells me that I know what I’m getting myself into,” Ethan Hastert said.
Dennis Hastert represented the 14th district from 1987 to 2007 and rose to become Speaker for for eight years before Republicans lost control of the House in 2006. After he resigned in 2007, Democrat Bill Foster won the special election to succeed him in what was then a surprising victory in the traditionally Republican district. Foster easily won a full term against the same Republican opponent in the 2008 general election.
Ethan Hastert, 31, is the only Republican so far to announce a bid in the western suburban Chicagoland district. He has never run for political office before.
“Generally, what I’ve been hearing is that people are not happy, not satisfied with our current leadership in Washington,” he told the Kane County Chronicle. “Quite frankly, people are ready for the next generation of leadership.”
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