Endorsement: U.S. House 6

Democratic voters in the 6th Congressional District, which takes in parts of DuPage and Cook counties, get to choose on Feb. 5 between two candidates to take on freshman Republican Congressman Peter Roskam.

We believe Jill Morgenthaler, 53, of Des Plaines is the best choice. Her background as a high-ranking homeland security adviser for Illinois, her work with Argonne National Laboratory and her long service in the Army Reserves give her a clear advantage over Roselle businessman Stan Jagla, 45.

Jagla, a Polish immigrant who has been in the trucking business, says he is running because corrupt judges are in the pockets of big business. We believe he is too focused on his own personal distrust with the court system and with corporate America to be effective.

Morgenthaler wants Congress to be focused on stimulating the economy by bringing back some of the money going to Iraq and instead investing in science and technology and keeping jobs here rather than allowing them to go overseas. In Iraq, she favors setting a clear strategy, using benchmarks, to stabilize the region and then bring our troops home. She believes the U.S. needs to work closer with its allies.