Hastert's Seat Goes Dem

With apologies to the fine folks of Wyoming, I present to you the biggest political news of the weekend:

» ChiTrib: Democrat Foster takes Hastert's seat from GOP

In a stunning upset Saturday that could be a sign of trouble for Republicans this fall, a little-known Democratic physicist won the special election for a far west suburban congressional seat long held by former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Rookie candidate Bill Foster scored a comfortable victory over Republican dairyman Jim Oberweis, who lost his fourth high-profile contest in six years, after an expensive and highly negative contest.

...

The 14th District historically has been very Republican, re-electing Hastert with 60 percent of the vote in 2006 and giving President Bush 55 percent of the vote in 2004.

Foster's victory is further evidence of the changing suburban landscape. The heart of the district is made up of fast-growing communities where farmland has given way to subdivisions and new residents don't necessarily have familiarity with local politics.

The territory is just the latest suburban Chicago district that's gone from reliably Republican to potential toss-up.

To the north, Democrat Melissa Bean of Barrington unseated Republican veteran Phil Crane in 2004 and fended off a well-funded challenger two years ago. Along the lake, four-term Republican Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland Park has been stockpiling campaign cash for a rematch against Dan Seals, who came surprisingly close in 2006.

The suburbs ... they are a-changing.