Jeanne Ives Sets Sights On Casten's Seat In 2020

GLEN ELLYN, IL — Wheaton native and ex-state representative Jeanne Ives has thrown her hat into the ring to challenge Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL, Downers Grove) for his seat in the 6th District of Illinois. Ives, who lost a bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination to Bruce Rauner, filed a Statement of Candidacy Thursday, according to Chicago Sun-Times.

Ives will face off against Rauner's lieutenant governor, Evelyn Sanguinetti, who announced her candidacy in March.

Sanguinetti Sets Sights On Casten's Seat In 6th District

Casten's November victory was considered a sort of upset after he flipped a district that had voted Republican for nearly 50 years, unseating longtime Representative Peter Roskam (R). Republicans in the 6th District are hoping to get behind a strong candidate who can reclaim the seat for the GOP.

Ives, a West Point graduate and self-proclaimed conservative, made waves in 2018 when she released a political ad that was slammed as racist, sexist, and homophobic. The ad, called "Thank You, Bruce Rauner," brought criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.

Sanguinetti announced her candidacy in April, saying she wants to foster an American Dream that "allows a little girl a chance to be who she wants, live how she wants to live, and set her own path in life."

Despite her reputation as a political firebrand, Ives submitted her candidacy quietly, without posting on her social media sites. Could this tactic mean we'll see a different side of Ives in the primaries?

No doubt it will be another race in the 6th District that constituents will be watching closely.

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