Endorsement: Quigley for Congress from Illinois District 5

This is the fifth consecutive meeting between Democratic incumbent Mike Quigley and Republican Tommy Hanson, both of Chicago.

Nothing has changed over all that time to diminish our respect and enthusiasm for Quigley as a lawmaker. He pursues a moderate, controlled philosophy toward government spending and stresses cooperation toward finding solutions to issues ranging from health care to fiscal policy, where among other things, he emphasizes the urgency of congressional action to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

As a congressman, he recognizes the political fractures that make it hard for the House to pass meaningful legislation, but notes that through a sincere faith in bipartisanship, he has promoted successful efforts on medical research and housing and advanced legislation on energy permitting reform. As part of a Bipartisan Budget Reform Working Group that he founded, he introduced a resolution setting a target that ties deficits to GDP and requiring bipartisan involvement in deficit reduction. Importantly, he also has cosponsored legislation aimed at banning partisan gerrymandering.

In the current campaign, Hanson has moderated his tone somewhat from the strident pro-Trump rhetoric of his previous attempts to unseat Quigley but his platform still tilts too far right for our taste and lacks any indication that he would seriously challenge the Trump administration on policy matters in which Congress should play a role.

District 5 runs from the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago northwest through the heart of the Northwest suburbs in Cook County and into southern Lake County.

As has been the case in four previous elections, Quigley is by far the stronger candidate for the 5th District and for the nation. He is endorsed.