State Sen. Sue Rezin will run for Congress in Underwood's district

State Sen. Sue Rezin made it official. She’s running for Congress in the 14th District.

The senator filed the required statement of organization and declaration of candidacy Tuesday with the Federal Elections Commission to run for a congressional seat in the 14th District in 2020.

Rezin, R-Morris, will remain a state senator during her campaign, she said.

In the 2018 midterms, Naperville Democrat Lauren Underwood, a health care policy expert who worked on the Affordable Care Act as a part of the Obama administration, defeated Randy Hultgren, R-Plano, regaining a seat for Democrats Hultgren held since 2011.

Rezin believes the 14th District is conservative at heart, one the GOP shouldn’t have lost. She said she wants to bring middle class values to Washington.

“I’m excited, I’ve been doing my research and preparing for a couple of months,” she said Tuesday.

Although Rezin is a resident of Illinois’ 16th District – a seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger – she has said she lives five minutes outside the boundary lines and her state district includes much of the 14th District, giving her familiarity with it. There is no residency requirement to live within the district, and Rezin said she would consider moving into the 14th District if she were elected, but she also expects some changes to the boundary lines when Congressional districts are redrawn in 2020.

Rezin’s campaign for Congress will begin organizing and raising funds immediately, according to a news release issued Tuesday. A formal announcement event will be held in the months to come, she said. Lowering the cost of prescription drugs and maintaining private health insurance are her priorities. She is assistant Republican leader in the Senate.

“My background makes me comfortable; I’ve run in three top-tier races and won,” Rezin said. “I have a track record for running campaigns.”

Rezin, who has been the co-owner and manager of her family’s real estate company for 16 years, will face a number of challengers in the Republican primary.

“I welcome the primary,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to talk about priorities for the general election.”

Underwood said in a news release Monday that her campaign has raised more than $1 million gearing up for the 2020 race.