Democratic Rep. Brandon Phelps won an eighth term to the Illinois House of Representatives on Tuesday night after Republican challenger Jason Kaiser backed out of the race.

A seven-time seat-holder in Illinois House District 118, Phelps, of Harrisburg, ran against Eldorado businessman Kasiar, his first opponent since 2008. In a year when millions of dollars have been spent for control of the Illinois General Assembly, the result of the race calls into question the role money plays in state politics.

Organized labor PACs donated most of Phelps’ campaign contributions, which amounted to more than $728,000. By contrast, Kasiar received little more than $2,000 in contributions.

Kaiser conceded defeat to Phelps after 120 of the district’s 140 precincts reported Phelps ahead by 13 percentage points. The incumbent representative received 57 precent of the vote based on those reports.

As he prepares a return to Springfield, Phelps has discussed working to get more federal dollars for public universities and working across the aisle to pass a state budget.

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