Rep. Sean Casten's 17-year-old daughter Gwen dies

Rep. Sean Casten shared that his 17-year-old daughter, Gwen, died Monday morning. In a statement posted to his Twitter account on Wednesday, Casten wrote "there are no words to describe the hole in your heart when a child dies."

"On Sunday night, we had dinner as a family and then she went out with some friends for a few hours," he said. "When she got home, she said goodnight to Kara and I, texted a friend to make sure she got home OK, and didn't wake up on Monday morning. The only thing we know about her death is that it was peaceful."

Gwen had recently graduated from high school, where she was involved in music and activism, according to her father. She planned to study environmental science at the University of Vermont.

Casten said her death has taught him to "savor the moments you have with your loved ones."

"We want purpose. We want to believe in a brighter tomorrow. But the only thing we can control is our present," he wrote.

He thanked those who have reached out to him and his family, and simply asked that everyone "live your lives as Gwen lived hers," calling on people to "Lead with Love."

Shortly before Casten's congressional office announced his daughter's death on Monday, Casten's campaign asked all Illinois TV stations to immediately pull his campaign spots off the air until further notice.

A Democrat from Downers Grove, the 50-year-old Casten is running for his third term in Congress in the newly drawn 6th District, which he has represented since defeating Republican incumbent Congressman Peter Roskam in 2018.

Casten is running against fellow incumbent Rep. Marie Newman, a freshman, and Nicor operation mechanic Charles Hughes.

"My heart breaks for the Casten family for the devastating loss of their daughter. My prayers are with Sean, Kara, and the entire Casten family," Newman said in a statement.

Newman also is immediately suspending all her campaign ads.

Newman opted to challenge Casten in the 2022 primary after the congressional remap approved by the Democratic majority in the state capital of Springfield put her into the heavily Hispanic 3rd District, which is represented by Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.

Hughes, who is also a former candidate for alderman in Chicago's 23rd Ward, ran against Newman in 2020 in the state's 3rd Congressional District, but he finished a distant fourth with just 2.3% of the vote in that race.

Representatives for Hughes' campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.