Field to face Foster shrinks again, candidate backs Hastert

Another candidate is dropping out of the race against Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.), but this time he's supporting Ethan Hastert for the GOP nomination.

Days after businessman Jim Purcell dropped out of the race and expressed a desire that Hastert not be the party's nominee, former Defense Department employee Mark Vargas has ended his campaign and is backing Hastert.

"The future of the Republican Party is not in our rearview mirror," Vargas said. "This upcoming election is about youth and new ideas, and Ethan Hastert provides new leadership with new ideas -- and I am happy to support him.”

Hastert and state Sen. Randy Hultgren are seen as the frontrunners in the primary. Purcell's exit was done in the name of assisting Hultgren.

With Hultgren as the outsider candidate in the race, a smaller field would ordinarily help him, but Vargas's endorsement of Hastert could offset that.

First-time candidate Jeff Danklefsen is still in the race.