CHICAGO (AP) – In one of the tightest races of the Super Tuesday, Republicans and Democrats alike were dueling for the chance to fill the remainder of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s term and then replace him next year.

That battle was among those shaping up in some of Illinois’ most reliably GOP districts, where Democrats eyed potential inroads from suburban Chicago to the state’s farmland breadbasket in the fall elections.

Republicans were asked to choose the candidate who will try to hold the seat of retiring Rep. Dennis Hastert.

In Hastert’s former district west of Chicago, which he left last year in his 11th term, voters chose candidates to square off in a March special election to fill the rest of his term and to run this fall to replace him beginning next January.

In the special GOP primary to choose someone to run to fill the remainder of Hastert’s term, millionaire businessman Jim Oberweis — endorsed by Hastert — was leading state Sen. Chris Lauzen.

With 44 percent of precincts reporting, Oberweis had 16,830 votes, or 57 percent; Lauzen had 12,714 votes, or 43 percent.

On the Democratic side, with 48 percent of precincts reporting, businessman Bill Foster was leading with 12,916 votes, or 49 percent, over his closest challenger, carpenter John Laesch, who had 11,522 votes or 44 percent. Democratic candidates also included attorney Jotham Stein.

All five who ran in the special primary joined Democrat Joe Serra and Republican Michael Dilger on the ballot in the general primary to replace Hastert beyond this year.

In the general primary to choose candidates to run to replace Hastert, Oberweis led the Republicans and Foster was narrowly out in front for the Democrats. With 53 percent of precincts reporting, Oberweis had 20,219 votes, or 56 percent, to 15,096 votes, or 42 percent, for Lauzen.

For the Democrats, Foster had 15,434 votes, or 43 percent, and Laesch had 14,941 votes, or 42 percent, with 54 percent of precincts reporting.

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