Dupage Policy Journal

For former Illinois state Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton), her recent decision to run in 2020 against U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) in the 6th Congressional District comes down to her love for America.

“At this point, with the craziness at the federal level, you've got to wonder – if the Democrats take over and get any more power, what will America look like?” Ives said in an interview with the DuPage Policy Journal soon after making her official announcement. “They are a party that believes more government means more freedom, which we reject. They are a party that does not appreciate the free-enterprise system.”

And the way Ives sees it, standing at the center of all the madness is Casten, who she argues has voted with Democrats in Congress 98 percent of the time since taking office in 2018.

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove)

“I will not have my kids subjected to that type of predatory government,” she said. “It’s time to fight to keep America [being] America. It’s a choice for people if you want more freedom or more government.”

Ives served in the 42nd Illinois House District for six years and narrowly lost in her Republican primary run against then-Gov. Bruce Rauner just over a year ago.

“Illinois is a disaster and I’m still paying attention to Illinois," Ives said. "We need at least a federal government that’s operative and isn’t doubling down on bad policies. We don’t need any more Democrats exporting big-government policy at the federal level, and that’s what’s happened with Sean Casten.”

While away from Springfield, Ives has sought to make certain she has continued to have a voice on the issues she considers most critical to Illinois. Just days before Democrats in Springfield aligned to push through Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new $85 billion spending plan, she warned voters to be on guard against what she deemed “Mike Madigan time.”

“I’ve had people asking me to run for this seat ever since Peter Roskam lost,” Ives said. “We looked at everything, looked at what Casten was not doing and what direction he was moving, and said the fight is now to reject those ideas.”

Ives said her campaign platform will include such issues as American security, security at the border, support for the military and pocketbook matters.

“Democrats have destroyed Illinois,” she said. “We can’t have them destroy the country the same way. We’ll be less free, our children will be less free and more burdened by government programs they have to fund. Where does that leave our kids, where does that leave us 10 years down the road?”

Before Casten, Ives, a West Point grad, is poised to take on Evelyn Sanguinetti, who served as Rauner’s lieutenant governor running mate in the 2018 GOP primary.

The 6th Congressional District includes parts or all of Wheaton, Naperville, Westmont, Bartlett, Elgin, Barrington Hills and Palatine.