Incumbent congressman, GOP challenger address campaign issues

(The Center Square) – Illinois’ Sixth District congressional candidates are offering different messages on policy matters.

Republican Niki Conforti is challenging Democratic Congressman Sean Casten.

Conforti told The Center Square that she and her opponent could not be more different.

“Sean Casten supports big government, high taxes, open borders, and I don’t. I support free markets, minimal government intervention and regulation, lower taxes and secured borders,” Conforti said.

Congressman Casten focused on climate issues at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month. Casten said that 50% of all the CO2 that humanity has ever emitted as a species has been emitted since 1995.

“In Illinois, since then, we’ve largely gotten rid of our coal industry. We’ve moved to one of the leaders in wind in the country. We’ve passed rules to make our homes safer,” Casten said.

Casten is Vice Chair of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition.

Taxes and migrants are key campaign issues for Casten’s GOP challenger.

Conforti said she is not surprised that Illinois Democrats are asking voters to consider an additional 3% income tax on people who’s adjusted gross income is more than one million dollars.

“Bigger taxes, that is the policy of the Democrats. They are going to try and squeeze the people to offset their budget deficits,” Conforti said.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker approved the Property Tax Relief Amendment earlier this year. The measure is a non-binding advisory referendum.

Conforti said that when you factor in free housing and free healthcare, the state of Illinois has budgeted roughly a billion dollars to take care of illegal immigrants.

“That is taking money away from veterans. That is taking money away from seniors and really all social services,” Conforti said.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Casten said that when people say the U.S. has an immigration crisis, what we have is a country that people want to come to and work because we have good jobs.

“Isn’t that better than the alternative? Right? All of that happens because we elected good people, and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are going to continue that trajectory,” Casten said.

The Sixth District was reconfigured in 2021, when Pritzker signed the state’s new congressional map passed by Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly.