Elburn village president hopes to challenge Foster for seat in Congress
Elburn Village President Jeff Walter said he is running for the Republican nomination for the 11th District U.S. House seat held by Democrat Bill Foster of Naperville.
A U.S. Navy veteran, Walter was elected to the Elburn village board in 2009, and served two terms as a trustee before being elected village president in 2017. He won election to a third term as village president in April.
Walter said he is forming a committee for his campaign and setting up a website and a Facebook page.
He said he thinks he can bring some of that middle-of-the road balance to the political conversation.
Walter said he also supports President Donald Trump, and is happy with a lot of the things that happening under his administration.
He also said he believes that the Republican Party has been leading the shift in focus of education toward junior colleges and the skill trades, and he “wants to be a part of that.”
He has worked in manufacturing, in IT, for small and large companies, and has run a family business. His education includes a finance degree and an MBA.
“I can offer a lot,” he said.
When asked how he felt about Trump’s “Big, beautiful bill,” he acknowledges that he hasn’t read the whole bill. He does want to see how it would affect farmers, who would be one of his major constituencies if he were to become the district’s representative.
“I’m not happy about the debt going up,” he added, “but then, I don’t know what the long game is.”
Asked about spending cuts under the administration, Walter said, “The system should be there to help people who need it but it should not be a big government giveaway.”
Walter’s parents were immigrants came from Germany in the 1950s after World War II. His father did well and was grateful to the United States, where he felt he was given such great opportunities. Walter said, and he was taught to appreciate those opportunities, and to give back to his community and country.
The 11th District encompasses portions of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, DeKalb and Boone counties.