CHICAGO (AP) – Exits by three veteran congressmen set up dramatic primary battles Tuesday in some of Illinois’ most reliably GOP districts while Democrats eyeballed potential inroads from suburban Chicago to the state’s farmland breadbasket.

Republicans were asked to choose the candidates who will try to hold the seats of Reps. Dennis Hastert, Ray LaHood and Jerry Weller in November. The primary also will decide which Republican gets a shot at the seat of Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean, who captured a GOP-leaning district in 2004.

Democrats, meanwhile, settled who will face GOP Reps. Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam this fall. Kirk was in a close race two years ago, while Roskam is a freshman who won one of the hottest races of 2006.

Of Illinois’ 19 House seats, 10 are held by Democrats and eight by Republicans. One seat is vacant due to Hastert’s early retirement. Both senators are Democrats, including presidential candidate Barack Obama.

A quick look at the top House races:

—3rd District, where Democratic Rep. Daniel Lipinski faces three primary challengers — Jerry Bennett, the Palos Hills mayor and Illinois Municipal League president, and attorneys Mark Pera and Jim Capparelli. Arthur Jones and Michael Hawkins sought the GOP nomination.

—11th District, where Weller is stepping down amid ethics questions after seven terms, leading to a GOP primary pitting Timothy Baldermann, who is both New Lenox Mayor and Chicago Ridge Police Chief, against former White House official Jimmy Lee and airline pilot Terry Heenan. Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson has her party’s backing for the general election.

—14th District, which former House Speaker Hastert left in the middle of his 11th term. Voters will choose candidates to square off in a March special election to fill the rest of his term and candidates who will battle this fall to replace him beginning next January. In the special primary, Hastert endorsed millionaire businessman Jim Oberweis over state Sen. Chris Lauzen, while Democrats included carpenter John Laesch, attorney Jotham Stein and businessman Bill Foster. All five, plus Democrat Joe Serra and Republican Michael Dilger, also are on the ballot in the general primary to replace Hastert beyond this year.

—18th District, where LaHood is stepping down after seven terms. The GOP primary pitted state Rep. Aaron Schock of Peoria, at 26 one of the youngest members in the Legislature, against former Peoria City Council member John Morris and economic development executive Jim McConoughey of Dunlap. Democrats promised to have a fall opponent for the GOP nominee.

Kirk and Roskam, meanwhile, prepared for fall challenges.

Two years ago, Roskam survived a furious, high-profile campaign to beat Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth, who lost both her legs when her helicopter came under fire. This time, another veteran, retired Army Reserve Col. Jill Morgenthaler, faced Roselle businessman Stan Jagla in the 6th District’s Democratic primary.

Democrat Dan Seals and former Clinton White House aide Jay Footlik sought the nod for a chance to knock off Kirk in the 10th District. Seals lost a close race to Kirk two years ago and experts say the suburban Chicago district may be trending Democratic.

As for Bean, she has been a GOP target ever since she beat GOP House veteran Phil Crane in 2004. Businessmen Steve Greenberg and Ken Arnold faced marketing executive Kirk Morris in the GOP primary.