WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Defying opinion polls that depicted a neck-and-neck contest, Democrat Bill Foster easily defeats Republican U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert in the 11th Congressional District. With nearly all precincts reporting, Foster has almost 58 percent of the vote; Biggert has 42 percent.

After a firestorm of negative TV ads in a tight race for Congress, Republican U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert and Democrat Bill Foster try to get supporters to the polls using bells and whistles.

Illinois candidates for the U.S. House released their most recent campaign money totals, which were due on Tuesday. WBEZ’s Sam Hudzik took a look at the filings and joined Eight Forty-Eight to share a few highlights.

Candidates for the U.S. House had to file a lot of paperwork over the weekend--third quarter campaign finance reports were due. Recent redistricting  could generate a lot of tough primary elections in Illinois this year.

Politicians are begging their supporters to donate campaign cash. That's because Friday is a key fundraising marker before the 2012 election.Fundraising numbers can be a sign of a candidate's support, or lack of it, and many use the reporting deadlines to make urgent appeals.Indiana U.S.

Candidates running for Congress or the presidency have long faced limits on campaign donation. Until recently, this was not the case for folks vying for state and local offices in Illinois.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says Rod Blagojevich’s conviction on federal corruption charges Monday shows a need for more state government reform.Quinn says Illinois has taken strides to lift ethics standards since Blagojevich’s 2008 arrest.