Today the Tribune Editorial Board publishes the second and final part of our statewide endorsements for the Illinois Senate.
31st
This Lake County district includes all or part of such communities as Grayslake, Zion, Antioch, Gurnee, Lake Villa, Libertyville, Lindenhurst, Mundelein, Wadsworth and Waukegan. The incumbent is 61-year-old Democrat Mary Edly-Allen, a teacher specializing in adult education. Edly-Allen represented the 51st House District in the 101st General Assembly. Earlier this month she celebrated the Illinois State Beach park shoreline stabilization project’s completion with a ribbon cutting alongside Gov. JB Pritzker. Edly-Allen told us that “high property taxes continue to be one of the biggest issues for residents. We need to balance economic development with keeping our communities whole.”
She also says ethics are of vital importance. “When I was up for reelection in the House,” she told us, “I openly opposed former House leadership. I put ethics over party and I called out corruption where I saw it. I will continue to be a prominent voice for maintaining and strengthening robust ethics regulations.” Excellent.
Edly-Allen’s challenger is Republican Ashley Jensen, who had trouble getting on the ballot until the Illinois Supreme Court and state Board of Elections rode to her campaign’s last-minute rescue. Jensen, a real estate agent who has political experience as a Benton Township trustee, told us that “community safety” was the most critical issue in her district. She also said she would “cut the $160 million in state funds currently allocated to support migrants in Chicago, as directed by Gov. JB Pritzker. These funds could be redirected to address urgent needs in areas like education, public safety, or infrastructure improvements across the state.” She has some good ideas, but Edly-Allen has served her district well and there is a major experience deficit here.
Mary Edly-Allen is endorsed.
34th
The 34th District is in Winnebago County and includes most of the greater Rockford area. The longtime incumbent is 63-year-old Democrat Steve Stadelman, a well-known former TV reporter and anchor in the area. The challenger is Republican Crystal Soltow.
“One of the most pressing issues in my district is economic development and job growth,” Stadelman told us as he focused on the plans announced by Stelantis to produce EVs at the Belvidere Assembly Plant. “I will continue to advocate for this project to ensure that this plan becomes a reality,” Stadelman told us. He said he is willing to work across the aisle in Springfield: “I’m always willing to sign on to legislation sponsored by my Republican colleagues. No party has a monopoly on good ideas.” Indeed not. Stadelman is a smart, business-focused Democrat.
Soltow is the Mexican American owner of Power Combat Fitness in Belvidere. She was also elected to a six-year term on the board of Rock Valley College in 2021. Her website notes that she built her business from the ground up, and she has said she would focus on bringing down inflation, as well as focusing on education and public safety. Republican leadership see her as a name to watch in the future and we agree, at least once she answers our questions in more detail. But Stadelman, who has been in office since 2013, is our flavor of Democrat.
Steve Stadelman is endorsed.
40th
The 40th District includes the majority of Kankakee County, an eastern portion of Will County and southeastern Grundy County. The incumbent is Democrat Patrick Joyce, who runs a small computing business on his farm. The challenger, once again, is 42-year-old Philip Nagel, the son of a steelworker, an Air Force veteran and staunch conservative. Joyce beat Nagel by 10 points two years ago and Republicans are hoping to close that gap this time around in a race in which they think they have a chance. Both men are serious candidates.
Joyce told us that “the number one issue in the 40th District is out of control property taxes. People in our community are being taxed out of their homes by some of the largest property tax rates in the entire country.” Joyce says he has worked “to pass legislation like the Southland Reactivation Act, which empowers local governments to encourage businesses to use currently vacant properties to get them back on the tax rolls and help reduce the property burden on homeowners.” He also says that while migrants deserve to be treated with compassion, he supports some reductions in state spending to focus on needs of the state’s citizens. We are also glad to hear him say this about the demands of the Chicago Teachers Union: “I do not think it is the job of the state to save local school districts who may have spent one-time dollars in an irresponsible way.”
Nagel, who works in polymers manufacturing at LyondellBasell, does not have political experience, which he sees as an asset. He is on the money when it comes to taxes: “My plan is to deliver real tax relief that helps working families get back on solid ground. Families need us to cut taxes where it counts — on property, income, and everyday essentials — so they can keep more of their hard-earned money,” he told us. Interestingly, he says that he believes “a person’s autonomy over their own body is a fundamental right” and does not support a ban on all abortions.
Nagel, who did not initially get a lot of support from Republican leadership, might well do better this time around; he seems to have grown. Nonetheless, Joyce is a moderate, bipartisan Democrat whom we have endorsed before and who has our support.
Patrick Joyce is endorsed.
43rd
The 43rd District is mostly within Will County and includes some or all of Joliet, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Woodridge, and Lockport. The Democratic incumbent is Rachel Ventura, 43, formerly a member of the Will County Board and a Forest Preserve commissioner. Ventura, of Joliet, is being challenged by Republican Jennifer “Jen” Monson of Shorewood.
Ventura, whom we have endorsed before, tells us that the most pressing issue in her district is “corporate price gouging that continues to hurt Illinoisans.” She that she “supported ending the grocery tax, and increased the child tax credit to help families. We passed bills to help regulate health insurance better by ending junk plans and mental health pre-authorization. We must put people first over profits and I will continue to do that every way I can.” She’s mostly a left-leaning Democrat now, although she has told us before that she is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. “I have never been an “insider” in the party,” she told us, “but instead I’ve followed what I believed to be right both for my constituents and morally. I promise I will continue to do just that.”
Monson is an educator who works with children with disabilities. “The escalating costs of essentials like gas, utilities, and taxes are placing an overwhelming burden on our residents,” she told us, “impacting their day-to-day lives and long-term stability.” She says that, if elected, “I will make it a priority to advocate for solutions that ease this financial burden. I will focus on reducing property taxes, income taxes, and fuel taxes, while also tackling other financial challenges that Illinois families encounter.” Republican readers should take a look at her ideas, but we’re sticking with Ventura.
Rachel Ventura is endorsed.
46th
The 46th Dstrict consists of parts of McLean, Peoria, Woodford, and Tazewell counties in central Illinois, including the cities of Peoria and Bloomington, along with the college town of Normal. The progressive incumbent is Democrat Dave Koehler, 75, who has been in office since 2006. He is being challenged by Republican businesswoman Sally Owens of Peoria, a first-time candidate who describes herself as a moderate. Both ran unopposed in the primary.
Koehler is the assistant majority leader and he has said he is running on his record in the district. For example, he secured about $250,000 for four adult library and literacy programs in Peoria and Bloomington, and he has a strong record protecting workers’ rights.
Owens, 58, is a small business consultant with a health care background and she has worked with many community organizations. She’s pro-choice, focused on women’s issues and interested in “expanding health care coverage, protecting people with preexisting conditions, getting more dollars in the state budget for local public schools, and raising the wages of working people.”
We see her as a potential bipartisan and independent member of the Illinois Senate who won’t be afraid to buck her party.
The Republican leadership thinks the energetic Owens could be a model for the future direction of a party that badly needs to appeal more to women voters. She held her own very well against Koehler in a candidate forum earlier this month at Illinois State University, organized by WGLT-WCBU.
She says that Koehler has been in the job too long and, although it won’t be easy to defeat the assistant majority leader, we want to see more Republican women in Springfield and think Owens makes an excellent case for change in the 46th.
Sally Owens is endorsed.
49th
The 49th District encompasses all or parts of Peoria, Tazewell, and Fulton counties. The incumbent is Democrat Meg Loughran Cappel, the owner of a driving school, who is running against Republican Katie Deane-Schlottman, a 44-year-old substitute teacher and a former Will County board member.
“My plan is simple: tax relief,” Deane-Schlottman told us. “By cutting property taxes, income taxes and other burdens, we can help families keep more of their money. With less financial pressure, families can invest in their futures right here in Illinois.”
Loughran Cappel, 45, says she is focusing on jobs, education and supporting working families. “I believe no family should have to choose between sending their children to a good school and keeping a roof over their heads or food on the table,” she told us. “Our seniors have worked hard their entire lives to retire with dignity and it is our responsibility to ensure that they are able to do so.” Recently, Loughran Cappel has been pointing to her role in Gov. JB Pritzker’s announcement of a $93.5 million project to reconstruct a new interchange at Interstate 55 and Illinois 59, which is nearing completion.
Deane-Schlottman held the line against taxes in Will County, and she is a candidate worth a look. But we admire Loughran Cappel’s focus on education and are sticking with the incumbent.
Meg Loughran Cappel is endorsed.
52nd
The 52nd District comprises parts of Champaign and Vermilion counties and includes communities such as Champaign, Danville, Rantoul, Urbana and Westville. The incumbent is Democrat Paul Feraci, who was appointed in 2023 following the death from a brain tumor of his friend Scott Bennett and whose parents owned popular businesses in Champaign. The Republican challenger is Jeff Brownfield, also of Champaign and also a well-known local figure.
Of late, Feraci has been involved with the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub. Democrats have poured money into his campaign, especially trade unions; he has greatly outspent his rival.
Brownfield, a lifelong Champaign resident, is very much the underdog but says he is working to “break the chains of political corruption that have hindered the state’s progress for decades.” We’ve listened to some of his interviews with local media and he seems a smart, straight-taking candidate with moderate, fiscally responsible views very much aligned with ours.
Jeff Brownfield is endorsed.
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