Foster, Walter Face Off In 11th Congressional District Race

Voters in the 11th Congressional District will decide between Democrat and incumbent Bill Foster and Republican challenger Jeff Walter in the Nov. 3 General Election.

Foster has served in the 11th District since 2013, and before that, he represented Illinois' 14th Congressional District. He ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination earlier this year.

Walter was the winner of the Republican primary in March, beating out three other candidates for the nomination.

The 11th Congressional District represents 766,584 people, according to the United States Census Bureau. The District spans eight counties and includes all or parts of Naperville, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, Romeoville, St. Charles, Aurora, Lemont, Burr Ridge, Lisle, Woodridge, Joliet, Oswego and Yorkville.

Bill Foster

Before his career in politics, Foster previously worked as a physicist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

In his most recent term of service in the 118th Congress, Foster returned to the House Financial Services Committee, and was appointed to the Speakers' Artificial Intelligence Task Force. He also is the Democratic co-chair of the House Research & Redevelopment Caucus, the National Laboratories Caucus, and the Inventions Caucus, according to his website.

On the issues, Foster believes in reproductive freedom, and the right for every American to access reproductive healthcare. He also believes health care is a human right and that the U.S. should continue moving toward universal coverage, according to his website.

Foster, who himself started a manufacturing company, also believes in "reviving American manufacturing." He believes in eliminating tax incentives to move jobs offshore, stopping poorly conceived and badly executed trade agreements, and restoring the emphasis on manufacturing in American education and culture, his website states.

See more about Foster's positions on certain issues here.

Jeff Walter

The Republican challenger, Jeff Walter, currently serves as the Mayor of Elburn, and is a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9). He has also had a career in technology and consulting.

Walter's website states that he's running for Congress "to bring common sense, accountability, and real-world experience to Washington."

On the issue of the economy, Walter said he trusts President Donald Trump, "who already delivered one of the greatest economies in history, to do it again, and he supports Trump’s America First economic plan, including tariffs that protect American workers and jobs."

Walter also supports making the "Trump tax cuts permanent, lowering costs for families, and rooting out the fraud and waste in Washington that drive up prices," according to his website.

Walter also states on his website the importance of protecting seniros, and said he will never cut Social Security or Medicare.

See more about Walter's positions on certain issues here.

Polls open at 6 a.m. on Nov. 3, and will close at 7 p.m.