Endorsement: Ploger for Dems in House Dist. 84

With state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit eschewing re-election and instead reaching for the Illinois comptroller’s office, two Aurora Democrats are vying for her 84th House seat beginning with the March 17 Democratic primary. Saba Haider and Jared Ploger both have excellent credentials and deep roots in their communities, and the difference between them is more or less the difference in the lenses they use to view the world.

Ploger, of Aurora, is a history teacher at Bolingbrook High School, where he is president of the union local that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and other staff. He is a former school board member in Oswego Unit District 308. He is deeply vested in his students’ interests – including those from immigrant families – and advocates for strong, fully-funded public schools. His endorsements are heavily union-leaning but he also has the backing of the Democrat Kifowit, whose seat he hopes to win, and Democratic state Sen. Linda Holmes, whose 42nd Senate district includes the 84th House.

Haider, also of Aurora, immigrated from India nearly 20 years ago. She is a small-business owner, providing wellness consulting services and training people to become yoga and meditation teachers. She is in her first term on the DuPage County Board, where she represents District 5. She was formerly on the county’s public health board and was involved in opening the Crisis Recovery Center in Wheaton; and she is a director of the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation, which raises money for the Indian Prairie Unit District 204. She believes the state should robustly invest in funding for mental health care. Her endorsements include labor organizations, but also entities like the Sierra Club, and Democratic 14th District Congresswoman Lauren Underwood.

Both are quality candidates. We give a slight edge to Ploger, partly because we have always thought highly of Kifowit, and because we like the idea of a dedicated educator, with demonstrated passion for funding public schools, in the Illinois House.

The 84th House District encompasses parts of Aurora, Naperville, Oswego, Montgomery and Boulder Hill, taking in the four corners between Will, DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties.

Ploger is endorsed.