Karen Hanretty

This past weekend, Bill Foster (D-IL) defeated fellow businessman Jim Oberweis (R-IL) in a special congressional election to fill the seat vacated by former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, a Republican.

Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Kensington), who happens to be the Chairman of the 2008 Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), told the Associated Press that Foster’s victory would send out “a political shockwave.”

“The message to Republican candidates is that John McCain's not going to be able to save you in this election,” Van Hollen said.