DuPage County Board member and businesswoman Tonia Khouri recently came out swinging when her opponent became verbally aggressive, casting aside any doubt of her ability to stand up to what she perceived as campaign bullying.
Khouri, Republican candidate from Aurora running for a seat in Illinois’ 11th District, responded swiftly to a statement from incumbent Democrat Bill Foster portraying her as a right-wing extremist. In his own campaign material, Foster attempted to frame her unfavorably as a member of the privileged class based on her personal income level, despite the fact that he himself is financially comfortable.
“The idea is to go to Washington and make it better, not bring its nastiness back to our home district,” Khouri stated. “Bill Foster is about pitting us against each other because that is what they do in Washington.”
Foster's diatribe took the form of a public statement aimed at criticizing Khouri’s coffers following the Illinois primary in March, when she defeated two challengers to secure the Republican nomination
“Real Estate Investor and Business Owner with net worth in the range of $25M to $45M,” Foster’s material stated. “Self-funding candidate … has already put about $250,000 into her campaign.”
Foster’s focus on election issues was limited to a reference casting Khouri as an “extreme” right-winger on choice, social issues, regressive taxes and diplomacy. Khouri swiftly countered the critique, calling her competitor out for falsehoods and negative campaign tactics.
“Bill Foster makes several untrue statements about me and there are still six months left in this election cycle,” she said, adding that 11th district constituents “need to be on high alert and not let Bully Bill Foster buy their vote … Unlike someone who thinks he can bully and buy his way to victory, I’m working hard to listen, represent and empower the people in the 11th District.”
Illinois' 11th Congressional District comprises areas of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties, including the city of Joliet.
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