AP, House Television via file
Sean Gaston of the Illinois Congress announced Monday evening that his 17-year-old daughter Gwen is dead. CBS Chicago Report.
“The Gaston family is demanding privacy, and we will not comment on this heartbreaking moment,” Gaston’s office said in an email.
Shortly before Goston’s congressional office announced his daughter’s death, Gaston’s campaign called for all Illinois television stations to broadcast his campaign locations immediately until further notice.
Gaston, a 50-year-old Democrat from Downers Crowe, is running for a third term in Congress in the newly drawn Sixth District, which he has represented since defeating incumbent Republican Congressman Peter Roscomm in 2018.
Gaston is competing against fellow newcomer Mary Newman, a newcomer and Nicor Operation mechanic Charles Hughes.
“My heart breaks for the Gaston family for their daughter’s disaster. My prayers are with Sean, Kara and the entire Gaston family,” Newman said in a statement.
Newman immediately stops all his campaign advertisements.
After the reshuffle of Congress, which was approved by a Democratic majority in Springfield, Newman chose to challenge Gaston in the 2022 primary, moving to the Hispanic 3rd district represented by the representative Jesus “Chui” Garcia.
Hughes, who is also a former candidate for the Alderman post in Chicago’s 23rd Ward, ran against Newman in the state’s 3rd congressional district in 2020, but finished fourth in the race with just 2.3% of the vote.
Representatives for Hughes’ campaign were not immediately available for comment.
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