Illinois Sen. Hastings Wins Re-Election After 'Extreme Challenges'

FRANKFORT, IL — Acknowledging an election cycle he called one of the most difficult for local communities, Illinois State Sen. Michael Hastings thanked voters for reelecting him after updated vote tallies showed he defeated Republican challenger Patrick Sheehan.

Final vote tallies were updated on Tuesday, which showed that Hastings, the Frankfort Democrat, won by a final count of 938 votes.

Sheehan released a statement on Tuesday, conceding the election, after Will County officials released updated vote tallies.

In a letter to voters released on Wednesday, Hastings thanked residents for “participating in our democracy” and for entrusting him with representing the South suburbs in Springfield.

“This election was one of the most difficult for our community,” Hastings wrote. “It challenged us to look to our core and ask ourselves what do we value. Our friends and neighbors sent a clear message this election cycle. They value a woman’s right to choose, protecting workers' rights, investing in our children’s education, taking care of the less fortunate, and increasing public safety throughout our communities.

He added: “Now it’s time to heal, recalibrate and focus on getting back to work.”

Hastings won reelection despite calls from top Democrats, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, for him to step down from office after he was investigated by police for reports of domestic violence against his now ex-wife. Hastings is suing the Frankfort Police Department after he said that police reports from the incidents were leaked from within the department.

More recently, Hastings' campaign denied that it did not mean to mislead voters after a letter written by Kate Hastings, the senator's sister, was sent to voters lending support for Hastings. Some voters were given the impression that the letter was written by Hastings' ex-wife, who denied any connection to the letter supporting Michael Hastings' re-election efforts.

In the letter he sent to voters on Wednesday, Michael Hastings thanked his staff, campaign workers, and others for their support during a time of “extreme challenges” Hastings and his family endured over the past few years.

As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Hastings had a nearly 1,000-vote advantage out of more than 82,000 ballots that were cast in the 19th Illinois Senate District, which includes parts of Will and Cook counties. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Hastings had 41,808 votes (50.6 percent) to 40,870 for Sheehan (49.4 percent).

Hastings said he spoke with Sheehan on Tuesday evening and said that while the two disagree on many issues, they both agreed that we could work on this together. He said both men agreed that their community needs to move forward for the best interest of local residents.

“From the pandemic, loss of loved ones, cancer, mental health challenges, devastating personal and professional setbacks, we leaned on each other in times of crisis, sought the help we needed, and pushed through,” Hastings wrote.

“We never quit on our community or each other. Your hard work and belief in our community is a direct reflection of the people we represent — the hard-working men and women of the south suburbs.”