By Laura Katauskas Official results confirm Tonia Khouri as the Republican nomination for the 11th Congressional District after the March 15 primary election. After all provisional and mail-in votes were tabulated by the final deadline of March 29, it was only 370 votes that separated Khouri and Nick Stella. Herman White also was a contender in the race. Because the vote tallies were so close on election night, Stella was reluctant to concede the race until all ballots were cast. He has now publicly given his support to Khouri, posting this message on his campaign Facebook site stating: "I have had such a wonderful experience meeting and speaking with so many residents, business owners and voters throughout the 11th Congressional District. These people deserve better representation than the current seat holder Bill Foster, and better representation for the citizens and companies of Congressional District 11 is why I entered this race. …So, I want to thank my family, friends, co-workers, supporters and those that placed their faith in my ability to be able to represent them and get the job done in Washington D.C. and voted for me in the primary. I also want to thank my campaign team, and volunteers for all their efforts and dedication. I want to congratulate Tonia Khouri, who has won the primary to be the next Republican nominee for the Illinois 11th Congressional District. As Tonia and I agreed to do earlier in this race -- that regardless of the outcome, we would support one another, and I plan to keep my word." Khouri will face off with Democrat incumbent Bill Foster in the upcoming general election. "I'm grateful to the voters in the 11th district for putting their trust in me. I'm thankful to Nick Stella and Herman White for running cordial campaigns and giving me their full support to win in November," said Khouri. "This is an important election. Washington is a dysfunctional mess. Across party lines, people are tired of Washington and Bill Foster is part of Washington. Washington is using the same old, tired ways of doing things that isn't working. I'm going to Washington to bring a fresh energy, new ideas, and independent solutions to the problems that face our country." Khouri, a small business owner from Aurora, also serves as the chairman of economic development on the DuPage County Board. Her campaign stressed her record of opposing all tax increases while in that capacity, as well as voting against increasing the salaries of county elected officials. "I'm confident that the people in the 11th district will see this race for what it is: a choice between the solutions this country needs, or the old, tired Washington status quo," said Khouri. Portions of Will, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Cook counties make up the 11th District. The district stretches from Chicago's western suburbs to two of Illinois' largest cities -- Aurora and Joliet.

By Editor-in-Chief Tonia Khouri officially announced her candidacy for Congress in the 11th District of Illinois on Sunday, August 30th, at her grassroots Yummy Chicken Dinner in Naperville. Khouri shared a vision that focused on issues directly affecting the people of the 11th Congressional District. "We have a beautifully diverse district and different communities have different concerns. As IKhouri traveled the district getting to know the people, I heard a common theme regarding jobs, education, and safety in our communities. I've listened to the people of the 11th District and I will take what's important to them with me to Washington. I will be laser focused on how we can help our communities from the federal level with regards to jobs, education, and safety in our communities." Khouri also spoke about being a mom, "As a mom, and as I speak with other moms throughout the district, and what we want for our children is pretty simple: We want our kids to grow up safe, healthy, and to get a good education without breaking the bank. But if our kids are not safe, then being healthy and getting a good education won't happen. We must keep our children safe."Tonia Khouri, Aurora Republican has strong support. Tonia Khouri, Aurora Republican has strong support. When talking about the 11th District's current representation Khouri says, "Bill Foster likes the way things are right now. He's okay with the fact that America is leading from behind on the world stage. He's okay with spending billions of dollars on special interest projects instead of properly funding our military." "Americans don't stand there and watch as a President promotes living on welfare instead of living out your dreams. Our government is not working for us and our current Congressman, Bill Foster, isn't doing anything about it", continued Khouri. Khouri, a small business owner in district and active member with local Chambers of Commerce, Rotary, and Women's Clubs had quite a few leaders in attendance to give praise in her effort to challenge the status quo. Mike Barbour, area advocate for veterans was more than pleased to give his support. "My time in the military taught me that you want to be around passionate people who are leaders. Tonia Khouri epitomizes that lesson learned," said Barbour. Entrepreneur and active member of the Joliet Chamber of Commerce, Lupe Vega said he stepped out of his comfort zone to give his very first pubic speech. "Tonia Khouri and I both love America and the opportunities available in our great nation. We share many of the same values and we both live to create opportunity. I believe Tonia has all the qualities to be an excellent Congresswoman for the 11th District. We need representatives that want to bring opportunity back to Illinois and to the United States of America," said Vega. Other local elected officials in attendance that gave their full support to Khouri included State Senator Jim Oberweis, State Senator and Republican Caucus Leader Christine Radogno. State Representative Grant Wehrli led attendees in a moment of silence in honor of Pat Pradel, wife of former Naperville Mayor George A. Pradel, who recently passed way.

Sunday, DuPage County Board member Tonia Khouri will officially announce that she'll be challenging incumbent Democrat Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) in 2016. "Our government is not working for us. The people of the 11th District deserve to have a representative with passion, leadership, vision, and who is laser focused on economic and national security," she said in a statement announcing the event. "We deserve to have someone who will take action and get things done in Washington. Although our government is big, when we have the courage to stand up, stand together, and take action, we can make a difference." Khouri's official campaign launch will take place Sunday, August 30th at 3:45pm in Naperville's Frontier Park.