South Cook News

Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) is happy to see the focus back where he thinks it should be in his run for the U.S. Congress in the 14th Congressional District.

“This has been a spirited and well-fought campaign,” Oberweis posted on his website soon after he recorded nearly 26 percent of the vote to finish on top among seven GOP primary candidates, earning the right to face off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville) in November. 

“I have been disappointed in the negative tone that the campaign has taken, but all of that is behind us. Now is the time for us as Republicans to come together and finish the mission which is to defeat Underwood,” said Oberweis. 

Getting to that point hasn’t come easy for the veteran lawmaker, who in the final days of the campaign faced criticisms, including a formal complaint filed by top opponent Sen. Sue Rezin. Rezin's complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Oberweis of money laundering his campaign funds, according to the Northwest Herald. She alleged he lobbied Republicans for donations to his congressional campaign and then sent them donations from what remaining funds were left in his state campaign remaining funds.

It was enough for fellow state representatives Mark Batinick, (R-Plainfield), Tom Demmer, (R-Dixon), Jeff Keicher, (R-Sycamore)  Dan Ugaste, Steve Reick, (R-Geneva), and Grant Wehrli, (R-Naperville) to issue a statement demanding more answers, given federal election law does not permit state and local campaign funds to be transferred to federal campaigns.

“There is no denying that it got heated as my opponents spent about $1 million in the last two weeks of the campaign on ads attacking me, but I have spoken with them, and they are committed to working with us to take on Lauren Underwood in November,” Oberweis told DuPage Policy Journal.

Throughout his campaign, Oberweis blasted Underwood for having an even more liberal voting record than the likes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) while representing a district President Donald Trump handily won in 2016.