Daily Herald endorsement: Jennifer Davis in 8th District Republican primary

The 8th Congressional District has been in Democratic hands for all but two of the last 20 years. Thus, the four Republican candidates running in the March 17 primary would do well to appeal to a cross section of voters if they want a chance against the Democratic Party pick in November.

Running in the GOP primary are Kevin Ake of Elk Grove Village, Herbert Hebein of Chicago, Mark Rice of Arlington Heights and Jennifer Davis of Huntley.

We wish we knew more of Hebein’s stands on the issues, but he did not respond to repeated attempts to contact him and never turned in a questionnaire. What he offers on his website is vague, giving voters little to go on.

Ake, on the other hand, holds nothing back, revealing himself to be so rigid in his religious views that he mocked the beliefs of others. In a rant during our endorsement interview, Ake — a self-described “born-again Christian” — hammered Davis over Catholicism and Rice over his Jewish faith. That kind of response to those who don’t share his views would make him a poor representative of this diverse suburban district. And given the chance to explain his conviction for a hate crime nearly 25 years ago involving a lesbian director of a YMCA, Ake instead doubled down on his attacks on gays. That kind of intolerance has no place in Congress.

That leaves Rice, who ran two years ago, and Davis, both of whom are supporters of President Donald Trump and many of his policies. They’re both well-versed in the issues, but we believe Davis — a businesswoman and mother of 10 — is the best choice. She’s a conservative, supporting strong immigration policies, but she voices her opinions in a way that allows room for empathy. And on foreign policy, particularly in Trump’s aggressive approach to Greenland, we share her belief that “We have to do a better job working with our allies.”

We endorse Jennifer Davis.