Dennis Hastert lost the Illinois House of Representatives election in 1981.
 In the special election in March 2008 to fill the rest of Hastert's unexpired term, Foster won a surprise victory over Oberweis
 In the state House, Hastert opposed bills barring discrimination against gays; supported (unsuccessfully) proposals to raise the driving age to 18; and voted for a mandatory seat belt law, although he later voted to repeal it

