Endorsement: Dold over Schneider in U.S. House 10

One of the suburban congressional races with national interest in the Nov. 8 election is the intense competition between U.S. Rep. Bob Dold of Kenilworth and former U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Deerfield.

That is nothing new in Illinois House District 10, which takes in most of Lake County and a significant northeast chunk of the suburban Cook County. The congressional race in the district is traditionally tight.

Dold, a Republican, won election for the first time in 2010 when he defeated perennial Democratic challenger Dan Seals to succeed Mark Kirk as Kirk moved to the Senate.

Two years later, in 2012, Schneider became the opposing candidate and ousted Dold in a district with newly drawn boundaries that leaned more Democratic.

Two years ago, Dold returned to oust Schneider.

This year's race becomes their third competition, and the two appear to be feistier than ever.

While Dold strikes us as more conservative than Kirk, he continues to carry on the district's tradition of independence and moderate political philosophy.

He's broken with his party many times on a variety of issues and this year's presidential race provides the latest illustration. Dold is refusing to support Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump despite the obvious political pressures to do so.

His independent spirit is representative of the district's voters and we cherish it, too. It's the reason we endorsed him in 2010, and it's the reason we endorsed him again in 2012 and in 2014.

It's also the reason we endorse him once more in the coming election.

At a time when Congress seems increasingly frozen in partisan gridlock, it seems more important than ever to elect representatives who are willing to work across the aisle, as Dold did in passing Lali's Law.

Named after Alex Laliberte, a Buffalo Grove resident who died of a drug overdose shortly after graduating from Stevenson High School, the legislation increases access to naloxone, an overdose antidote that saves lives.

While we don't endorse Schneider in the general election as we did in his Democratic primary, let us add that the decision was a difficult one. Schneider is a thoughtful candidate who impresses with the growth he's shown since he was first elected to Congress.

But he carries with him a party-line voting record that suggests he would be less apt to build the bipartisan coalitions we need in Washington.

Our vote: Dold for Congress.