Nabeela Syed defeated incumbent Darby Hills for the northwest suburban Illinois Senate 26th District seat in one of the most expensive General Assembly races ever as Democrats looked to pad their supermajority in Springfield.
Syed, a state representative from Inverness, challenged Hills, the Republican incumbent from Barrington Hills, beating her in campaign fundraising by more than 2 to 1. Syed won with 57% of the vote.
"Our campaign team, our volunteers, were able to talk to people about the most important concerns in their life and lead with empathy and compassion, not a desire to just win a vote," Syed told supporters after declaring victory Tuesday night.
The $6.5 million raised makes it one of the most expensive General Assembly contests ever, said Alisa Kaplan, executive director of Reform for Illinois.
Syed received at least $4.7 million in contributions, much of it from her party, while Hills raised $1.8 million, said Kaplan, whose organization runs the Illinois Sunshine Database.
Syed raised more than $3 million from the Democratic Party of Illinois and the Illinois Senate Democratic Fund, controlled by Illinois Senate President Don Harmon. She’s also raised substantial amounts of money from unions.
In a statement, Hills criticized the money spent and accused Democrats of "sleazy tactics" during the campaign.
Hills' last big contribution from her party was in August when the Illinois Senate Republican Campaign gave her $300,000.
Separate from Hills' own fundraising, a political action committee — the Strong Independent Leadership Committee — formed last month to oppose Syed. It’s stated purpose is “ensuring only strong, independent leaders are elected by opposing extreme candidates,” according to a state filing.
Vince Foglia of North Barrington formed the political committee and contributed $500,000 to it.
Separately, Foglia and his family have also contributed $500,000 to Hills’ campaign.
The northwest suburban district includes parts of Cook, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties.
Hills was appointed to fill out the term of Dan McConchie, who resigned to take a job with a nonprofit organization.
Syed, 27, is completing her second term representing the 51st District in the Illinois House after graduating from the University of California (Berkeley) in 2021. Syed was the youngest woman and one of the only Muslims elected to the Illinois General Assembly.
Hills, 50, has raised Syed’s youth and experience as a campaign issue. In the final days, she’s called Syed “too extreme” to represent her district.
Syed chided the overall political environment that she blamed for anti-Muslim sentiment during the campaign.
"We're seeing people say things at the doors when I'm knocking ... that are outright hateful and scary and intimidating," she said Tuesday night. "This is the district that I grew up in, and I shouldn't have to prove that I was born in this country."
A former prosecutor and 2021 Mrs. Illinois America, Hills was a village trustee before being appointed to McConchie’s seat. She has campaigned for public safety, especially related to children, lower taxes and government spending controls.
Syed, a Palatine native, said affordability and access to healthcare are among her top priorities.
Both candidates call for more oversight of data center development, a contentious issue across the state.
Going into Tuesday’s election, Democrats held super-majorities in both the Illinois House (78-40) and Illinois Senate (40-19). Every Illinois House seat was up for election Tuesday, while voters were slated to decide 39 state senate races — two-thirds of that chamber.
Another Republican state senator, Seth Lewis, also lost in an upset in the Senate's 24th District. Lewis fell to newcomer Benjamin McAdams, who had 55% of the vote with about 90% of ballots counted.
Elsewhere, Democrats were looking to unseat 52nd House District Republican Martin McLaughlin, who faced candidate Maria Peterson again.
Peterson beat McLaughlin handily, getting 56% of the vote .
In 2024, McLaughlin eked out a victory against Peterson, beating her by fewer than 50 votes.
Peterson cited affordability, environmental protection and safety as issues she was focusing on, pointing to her records as a lawyer doing advocacy work.
And in Illinois Senate District 14, incumbent Democratic state Sen. Emil Jones III was declared the winner, with about 75% of the vote to defeat Republican challenger Brian Skala, with almost 80% the votes counted. Jones easily won his primary in March despite settling a federal investigation just months before.
More than one-quarter of the members of the Illinois General Assembly represent Chicago or portions of the city, and the vast majority are Democrats.
Only one incumbent Democrat lost in March: State Rep. Jaime Andrade Jr. lost his primary for House District 40 to challenger and community activist Miguel Alvelo Rivera for the North Side seat. Rivera is unopposed in Tuesday’s election.
Republicans saw an opportunity in another rematch where Republican Liz Bishop challenged incumbent Democrat Amy “Murri” Briel in the 76th Illinois House District race in north-central Illinois. The campaign includes some eyebrow-raising allegations.
However, Briel beat Bishop, getting 57% of the votes.
