U.S. House Illinois 14th District: Randy Hultgren tops Dennis Anderson again

For the second time in two years, incumbent U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Winfield, has defeated Democratic challenger Dennis Anderson of Gurnee in the 14th Congressional District.

Late Tuesday, Hultgren had 119,743 votes and Anderson had 61,965 votes. Hultgren's district covers all of McHenry County except for Algonquin Township, portions of all collar counties and Kendall and DeKalb counties.

Anderson previously lost to Hultgren during the 2012 general election.

Hultgren, in a statement released Tuesday evening, thanked his family for supporting him while he is in office. He also thanked others who helped with his campaign.

"Our win today is a victory for the individuals and families in Illinois who look to a brighter future for Illinois and our nation," Hultgren wrote in the statement. "I will continue to reach out to those with other viewpoints and fight for common-sense solutions while remaining true to conservative principles. Every day, I will ensure that I have done something to improve the lives of the people of the 14th District."

Anderson on Tuesday night said he did not like the look of the election results, which he watched with McHenry County Democrats at the Williams Street Public House in Crystal Lake.

"I think we ran a good campaign," Anderson said during a phone interview. "I had a fantastic cadre of volunteers – they worked their butts off all over the district."

Anderson said the 20 open town halls he attended this year all over the 14th District helped bring his name to more voters. Anderson said he was more accessible to the public than Hultgren, whose campaign did not directly respond to requests for a debate during the election.