Democrat Ricky Rivard has pulled ahead of four-term Republican incumbent Dan Ugaste in unofficial results for Illinois House District 65, with Rivard collecting 23,926 votes to Ugaste's 21,152 as Kane and DuPage county precincts reported 100 percent of returns. The district stretches across all or part of St. Charles, Geneva, South Elgin, Bartlett, Campton Hills, Lily Lake, Elburn and Wayne.
The contest pitted Rivard, a realtor and adjunct professor at Elmhurst University, against Ugaste, a Geneva attorney seeking a fifth term who has served as assistant minority leader since 2025. As Shaw Local reported, Ugaste had considered a run for Illinois governor before deciding to seek reelection to the House seat he has held since 2019, where he serves on committees covering finance, higher education, judiciary, labor and commerce, and public utilities.
A District Known for Razor-Thin Margins
District 65 has a history of flipping by the slimmest of margins. President Trump carried the district by around one percentage point in 2024, while Gov. J.B. Pritzker won it by about the same margin in 2022, according to The Illinoize, which flagged the race as one of the top toss-ups in the state heading into election night.
The race between Rivard and Ugaste was described as a contest between a Democratic challenger and the Republican incumbent in the Nov. 3 general election, according to the Chicago Tribune. Ugaste told the Tribune that voters were talking about taxes, affordability and education, and said those issues were at the top of his list alongside economic growth, ethics tied to recall elections, and budget transparency.
Rivard's Pitch on Affordability and Housing
Rivard framed his campaign around property-tax relief, family affordability and keeping the community livable, saying his goals included delivering real relief from property taxes, addressing the affordability crisis squeezing family budgets, and fighting to keep the community a place families can afford to call home, according to a Shaw Local election questionnaire. He said he wants to end school districts' over-reliance on local property taxes and push the state to meet its funding obligations for education, and he also said he supports responsible development and access to attainable housing.
Beyond housing and taxes, the questionnaire shows Rivard planning to focus on reducing healthcare and childcare costs along with grocery bills, and saying he would fight to expand reproductive rights in Illinois. He also said he supports continuing the Trust Act, which bars local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, telling the outlet that ICE has arrested children returning from school, taken mothers from school drop-off lines and detained community members — sometimes, he said, in circumstances defying court orders and sending people to unnamed out-of-state detention centers. Rivard additionally said violent crime and crime overall continue to fall across the district and Illinois at large.
Ugaste's Record and Policy Priorities
Ugaste has staked out a different position on immigration enforcement, telling the Daily Herald he would repeal the Trust Act, which he characterized as making Illinois a sanctuary state. He also named high taxes, economic growth and improving education among the issues he considers most pressing for the state.
Outside his legislative work, Rivard has built a local political and civic résumé: he serves as elected precinct committeeperson for St. Charles Precinct 1, chairs the St. Charles 708 Mental Health Board, and volunteers with We Can Lead Change, an organization focused on local food drives, per the same Shaw Local account. His listed employers are Best Realty Fox Valley and Elmhurst University.
Campaign Fundraising Favored the Incumbent
Ugaste's campaign significantly outraised Rivard's heading into the election. According to Ballotpedia figures cited in the dossier, Ugaste's campaign raised $258,600 between Jan. 1, 2025, and Sept. 30, 2026, including $29,812 from the House Republican Organization, $21,000 from the Illinois Realtors PAC and $13,000 from the Illinois Bankers PAC. Rivard's campaign raised $92,084 over the same period, including $40,621 from Democrats for the Illinois House and $28,719 from the Democratic Party of Illinois.
With Kane and DuPage precincts fully reporting, Rivard's roughly 2,774-vote edge over Ugaste stands as the unofficial outcome in a district that has swung by similarly thin margins in each of the last two statewide elections.
