Samantha Gasca Challenges Michael Hastings For The 19th Illinois Senate Seat In Will County.

The next election is the March 19, 2024 primary.

July 8, 2023

Announcement of political candidacy

Things are really shaking up Illinois. After the upset of the midterm elections in 2022, Grassroots Republicans are rising in numbers for the 2024 races. One of these Conservatives is Samantha Gasca, a resident of New Lenox, IL.

Gasca is a Hispanic businesswoman. She is also a pastoral counselor and a motivational speaker. She is active in the Republican Party and is a volunteer in the community. Her passion is helping others and working with young people.

Gasca is presently running for the 19th Senate District. in Will County. The seat is currently held by Democrat Michael Hastings. This is Hasting's fifth term in the General Assembly.

Hastings surrounded himself with controversy as he was accused of domestic battery by his wife Kathleen. Though he was never arrested, the Police were notified, and a Police report was generated. No official charges were made. Later, Hastings sued the Village of Frankfort, voting a “leak” in the department.

In 2022, Patrick Sheehan challenged Hastings for his Senate seat using the exposure of the Domestic Battery allegations against him. The election came down to the wire, with Hastings beating Sheehan by 1,000 votes.

Sheehan failed to produce the necessary votes to win because he suffered a controversy himself. Early in his campaign, Sheehan was very visible in his support of then Governor candidate Richard Irvin. Irvin, a Democrat, was shunned by the rank-and-file Republicans who were supporting Darren Bailey.

Sheehan endorsed Irvin, a pro-abortion advocate who later lost his race in the GOP primary. Many Grassroots voters chose not to vote for Sheehan because he alligned himself with Irvin. This continues to be a problem with any Republican who aligned themselves with the Aurora Mayor and are now blacklisted.

I asked Gasca why she was running for the Illinois Senate and her response was:

"After Roe versus Wade was overturned, I was overcome with joy because I was so happy that the Lord had decided to save so many lives. This compelled me to attend a local Republican meeting, after which I was asked by a county board member to consider running for school board. I told him that I wasn’t looking to run, but I would pray about it. I prayed for three days, during which I felt compelled by the Lord to run. On the third day, I felt like the Lord had said, Why not? If it’s my will, you’ll get in. If it’s not my will, you won’t. Either way, you’re in my will. And then I felt total peace, as I knew that no matter what, I’d be serving the Lord I’m the exact way He would have me serve Him."

She also added: "Looking a little further back into my motivation for running for public office, I grew up in a home where I was severely abused. This motivated me eventually to become an advocate for the underdog. This specifically took me to the area of working with children who are experiencing similar things to what I had experienced. At one point, I worked with sex trafficked children; however, I am now a pastoral counselor working with children and adults. As well, I work with children in ministry and non-ministry volunteer/mentoring settings"

These are Gasca's policy points:

I stand for several things:

◦ Doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, even in the face of adversity

◦ Standing up for what I believe in

◦ Knowing when it’s a good time to keep quiet and listen

◦ The cowboy code of honor

◦ Speaking truth in love, yet having enough respect to be direct

◦ Being someone who strives to create unity, yet does not tolerate disrespect, unkindness, rudeness, or hatefulness

I will fight for:

◦ Parental rights— your voice deserves to be heard— your children and their futures are at stake

◦ Taxpayer rights— your voice also matters— you pay your equal share of taxes, and you deserve to be heard

◦ Protecting vulnerable minds and prioritizing mental health

◦ Quality education and technology

◦ School safety for our children

◦ Efficient use of funds, lower taxes, and tax rebates

This is Gasca's formal press release:

My name is Samantha Gasca, and I'm a resident of New Lenox. I'm a lifelong conservative. I studied at Illinois State University where I received my Bachelors of Science and Masters. I did my research at A&M University for my PhD which I left to pursue the ministry. Later, I completed my Master's at Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago for my second master’s degree studying pastoral studies. I also worked on Moody radio, doing data analytics.

After completing my studies, I dedicated myself to individual development by helping guide others. Presently, I counsel those in need. I find joy in rebuilding people's lives.

I'm also a life coach and motivational speaker.

Like many other conservatives, I just could not accept the liberal agenda forced upon our young children.

I never ran for office before, but I felt the call to do so because of our children. Because as a young child, I grew sexually abused, so I became a child advocate and a defender of children's rights. We have to protect the innocent from this pressed manipulation that is exposing young minds to sex at such a young age. We have to make an impact now for future generations. I also believe in parental rights. It shouldn't be the teacher raising the child, it's the parent. No teacher should have the right to direct their beliefs into our children.

I want to lower taxes by working with my legislative partners. There is no reason our seniors should pay up to $10,000 a year in taxes when their children are already grown and moved on. This tax revenue doesn't go to the classrooms, but needless spending and administrative overhead. I will also revamp our education curriculum. It's time our students graduate at their grade reading level and are much more prepared for college and the workforce. I also will propose trade schools.

Why am I running? Simple. The call of the Lord.