US Midterms 2026
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Bill Foster, a Democrat and physicist who has represented Illinois's 11th congressional district since 2013, is seeking re-election in 2026 against Republican Jeff Walter.
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Bill Foster.
Recent media coverage for Bill Foster.
Topic: A coalition of prominent House Democrats led by Sen. Ed Markey and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, including Rep.
The article discusses Democratic leadership dynamics in the House, highlighting Rep. Katherine Clark as a potential top leader if Democrats win the chamber.
Clark
Gottheimer
CleaverTopic: Emanuel Cleaver (Missouri) and his stance within the House, particularly in relation to leadership dynamics and support for long-tenured members.
Topic: Ongoing investigation into suspicious substances mailed to congressional offices, with live updates reported by POLITICO.
The article discusses Rep. Maxine Waters’ leadership role on the House Financial Services Committee as she faces competition from Rep. Sean Casten and a potential bid from Rep. Bill Foster.
No story this week names this candidate.
Bill Foster was born George William Foster on October 7, 1955, in Madison, Wisconsin, where he attended James Madison Memorial High School as a teenager. He received a Bachelor of Science in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1976 and a PhD in physics from Harvard University in 1983. At 19, Foster started a company with his younger brother, Fred, that became Electronic Theatre Controls, a manufacturer of theatrical lighting fixtures and control systems.
After completing his doctorate, Bill Foster moved to the Fox Valley to work in high-energy physics at Fermilab, where he spent 22 years.
His work there included equipment and data analysis software for the CDF Detector, used in the discovery of the top quark, and managing the design and construction of a 3 km Anti-Proton Recycler Ring.
He was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society in 1998, and in 2022 he and Stephen D. Holmes received the Robert R. Wilson Prize for Achievement in the Physics of Particle Accelerators.
Foster entered Congress through a March 2008 special election for Illinois's 14th congressional district, vacated by former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, defeating Republican Jim Oberweis 53% to 47%. He won a full term later that year, then lost to Republican Randy Hultgren in 2010.
In 2012 he won the 11th district with 58% of the vote, and he has been re-elected in each election since.
In the 119th Congress he serves on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Financial Services, where he is ranking member of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions.
Bill Foster is seeking re-election in Illinois's 11th congressional district, based in the western suburbs and exurbs of Chicago, including Aurora, Naperville and Belvidere. He was re-elected in 2024 with 55.6% of the vote and is again the Democratic nominee. In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Republican Jeff Walter, who won a four-candidate Republican primary with 42.6% of the vote, ahead of defense contractor Michael Pierce at 38.8%.
