State Senate races for the 105th Illinois General Assembly saw some shakeups Tuesday night, with some Democratic candidates in Republican districts flipping seats and bringing tight challenges in those they lost.
Democrats held a supermajority of 40 seats in the Senate compared to the GOP’s 19 in the 2025-2026 General Assembly. That supermajority increased after the Tuesday election.
Democrats now control at least 44 seats, with two of the three uncalled races leaning in their favor Wednesday. Republicans held just 12 seats, with one uncalled race leaning in the favor of the Republican incumbent.
Incumbent GOP Sens. Seth Lewis, Darby Hills, and Erica Harriss all saw their seats flip to their Democratic opponents – called by multiple media organizations by night’s end Tuesday.
Sen. Hills, R-Lake Zurich, lost to state Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, in one of the most expensive statehouse races in history – with Syed raising $4.7 million for her campaign, while Hills raised $1.8 million according to Reform for Illinois’ Sunshine Database.
Syed celebrated her win Tuesday night at a campaign election night watch party.
In a statement, Hills conceded Tuesday night, while criticizing high spending and what she said was Syed’s campaigning on lies. She called her opponent’s tactics “sleazy.”
GOP Sens. Dave Syverson and Craig Wilcox, who were believed to be in safe seats for the Republicans this year, remained behind Democratic challengers Wednesday morning.
The only race still up in the air that favored the Republican candidate Wednesday was Sen. Sue Rezin’s race in the 38th district.
Story from Illinois Radio Network
Comments