Despite an almost disappointing evening for Illinois Republicans, all soon was forgotten as word came in that Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert resoundingly won his seat as representative of Illinois’ 14th district.

“It’s great and it’s very rewarding when you can’t spend all the time as you did in the past, and you see them all supportive and coming together in such numbers with such enthusiasm,” Hastert said. “It’s really an indication of how great these people are despite the fact that as Speaker of the House, I can’t go door to door within my district like others can.”

Jean Hastert, wife of Dennis Hastert, shook hands and spoke to a few people before Dennis’ arrival at Payton’s Roundhouse in downtown Aurora. Overall, her husband’s victory was no surprise because of the qualities he instilled in himself throughout the years, she said.

“Everyone expected it, and I’m with everyone else in believing early on that Dennis would win,” Jean Hastert said. he’s handling the dis

One of the most important things Dennis Hastert emphasized was the significant accomplishments made during his tenure as Speaker of the House.

“We had a great agenda, a homeland security act implemented, we passed an education bill that took bureaucracy decisions from Washington so people back here could make the real decisions and most importantly, we passed the largest tax cut in American history,” Hastert said.

Hastert said he wasn’t bothered by Illinois’ winners being predominately Democrats. Because he worked well with former President Bill Clinton in the past, he said he could be cooperative and mix well with Illinois’ governor-elect Rod Blagojevich.

“[The Republicans] didn’t have the money to get our message out, so now we must roll up our sleeves and go to work,” Hastert said. “There’s good, young blood in this party, and sometimes you need fresh blood in order to have things work for the better.”

During the time Hastert abruptly was named Speaker of the House, many critics argued that he either wouldn’t last or would perform poorly.

“Two years ago, I was the accidental speaker that couldn’t hold on to the house. It was impossible,” Dennis said. “[I] had only a five- vote margin, but I did hold on, and now I’ve won again by a five- or six-point margin, and in doing so, have defied history.”

Fourteenth District Representative Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) talks with a supporter at Payton’s Roundhouse in Aurora, after spending the earlier part of the evening at the White House.