Democratic Party picks up Dennis Hastert's seat.

A stunning political victory for Congressional Democrats - a political neophyte has taken a rock-ribbed Republican U.S House seat in Illinois. In a constituency that was represented by eight-year GOP US House Speaker Dennis Hastert before his mid-year retirement just months ago. Democrat scientist Bill Foster (pictured left) scored an upset victory over Republican Party nominee Jim Oberweis, a businessman who was making his third attempt at federal office.

Hastert's former Congressional District - Illinois' 14th CD - was won in 2004 by President George W. Bush with 56% of the vote, despite the state's overwhelming margin for Democratic nominee John Kerry.

Foster's surge in the race was evident when the National Republican Congressional Committee spent over $1 million to defend the seat in an ultimately futile cause. That monetary figure represents almost a third of the committee's cash-on-hand.

Oberweis drew a campaign appearance by US Senator John McCain, while Bill Foster was heavily promoted by the state's junior US Senator, Barack Obama.

It remains unclear if the Republican nominee's poor performance will be heeded as a wake-up call by Congressional Republicans, or if Washington's Capitol Republican Party establishment will dismiss Oberweis' loss as both an aberration and the result of a quirky special election.

The final result was 52% for Bill Foster and 48% for Jim Oberweis.