ELMHURST, IL – The Democratic and Republican parties each have one candidate in next March’s primary for state representative in Elmhurst-based District 45.

Elmhurst Alderman Marti Deuter is running as a Democrat to succeed Jenn Ladisch-Douglass, a Democrat who decided not to run again after one term.

The Republican candidate is Elmhurst resident Dennis Reboletti, who is the elected supervisor of Addison Township.

District 45 includes nearly all of Elmhurst and parts of Hinsdale, Western Springs and Westmont, among other towns. The candidate filing deadline was Monday.

In 2022, Reboletti lost in the costly battle for the District 23 Senate seat to Democratic incumbent Suzy Glowiak Hilton of Western Springs. She drew 54 percent of the vote to Reboletti’s 46 percent.

In that race, Hilton collected $3.2 million in donations to Reboletti’s $500,000. Hilton’s seat is not up next year.

Last year, Ladisch-Douglass narrowly defeated Deanne Mazzochi, an Elmhurst Republican who served four years.

In the election, Mazzochi, who never publicly acknowledged her defeat, lost ground in Elmhurst. This was after she publicly urged the local public schools superintendent to "clean house" because of what she said were ideologically biased lessons.

Last month, Deuter confirmed her campaign in a statement to Patch, pledging to engage with residents on their concerns. Patch tried to reach Reboletti for comment Tuesday.

Ladisch-Douglass told Patch last month that she had wanted to run again, but multiple family members were ill.

District 45 is considered one of the few battlegrounds between the Democratic and Republican parties.

For such seats, the parties’ establishments like to clear the primary field for their preferred candidates, so they can focus their fundraising on the general election.