Paul Ryan Talks Taxes, Health Care At Rally In Illinois

SPRING GROVE, IL — As Election Day draws closer, District 14 Rep. Randy Hultgren (R) has a high-profile politician on his side. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan came to Illinois Friday to stump for Hultgren at a rally in Spring Grove. At the rally, Ryan praised Hultgren for making "commitments and promises" that he followed through on. "How many times have you seen a politician who kept his word?" Ryan said.

The Speaker of the House went on to praise Ryan's work in Congress, saying he "helped stop human trafficking" and "solve the opioid problem."

Ryan spoke about the revamped tax code and the importance of promoting "common sense health care" reform that would benefit constituents and "not insurance companies."

The rally kicked off at 1 p.m. at the employee-owned Scot Forge, which is located at 8001 Winn Rd., Spring Grove.

Hultgren, who lives in Park Ridge, has represented Illinois's 14th District in the House of Representatives since 2011. The Republican incumbent faces a tight race against challenger Lauren Underwood, who held a rally with former Vice President Joe Biden in St. Charles Wednesday.

According to Ballotpedia, two outlets have said that the race for the 14th District seat "leans Republican." A third outlet, the Cook Political Report, reportedly called the race "a toss-up."

Earlier this year, Ryan announced he would not seek re-election and will retire at the end of the year.

Watch Paul Ryan speak via Patch's livestream from the Hultgren event:

Image credit: Getty Images/Tasos Katopodis / Stringer