Endorsement: Tracy for Republicans in U.S. Senate race

Six Republicans have emerged to seek their party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate seat Democrat Dick Durbin will vacate next January. If history is a guide, whoever wins will face an uphill battle against any Democrat in the November election.

That reality emphasizes all the more the importance of fielding someone capable of mounting a serious and effective campaign. With that thought in mind two candidates from downstate immediately leap to the forefront, Don Tracy and Pamela Denise Long.

Tracy, of Springfield, is a polished spokesman for Republican values, as you would expect from an attorney who has been active in government including as head of the Illinois Gaming Board and of the Illinois Republican Party. He stridently expresses conservative values on immigration policy, foreign affairs, taxation and government spending. Even so, he is not afraid to question the way immigration enforcement has developed under the Trump administration, and he has thoughtful positions on tariffs and the role Congress should play in holding up its leg of the constitutional balance of power. He offers an appealing mix of consistent conservative values and independent thought, and he would make a worthy opponent for any one of the 10 Democrats seeking the nomination on that side of the aisle.

Long, from Edwardsville, comes into the race with an impressive balance of passion, independence and intellect in both arguing for traditional Republican economic and social values and challenging actions and policies that veer from them. Like Tracy, she brings no prior elected experience but offers a solid background in political activities — as co-director of a public policy group and longtime print and broadcast political commentator. Among all the candidates, she is the most outspoken about issues that are fracturing the party and, perhaps most persuasive, argues with a force and clarity that would make her a formidable opponent for whomever the Democrats put forth.

The four remaining candidates all have qualities to recommend them. Casey Chlebek shows independence, though his primary issue seems to be that he is sufficiently financially successful that he can work without taking a salary. R. Cary Caparelli is sincere and thoughtful with a moderate approach to governing. Jeannie Evans and Jimmy Lee Tillman are firm supporters of the Trump agenda, with Evans offering the skills of an experienced antitrust attorney that make her effective in articulating it.

But the candidates who offer Republicans the best opportunity to mount an effective campaign in Democrat-entrenched Illinois are Tracy and Long. We are intrigued by the image of a campaign featuring the energetic Long and the Democratic nominee, but we also recognize that her limited political experience is scant preparation for service in the U.S. Senate. Ultimately we are persuaded by Tracy’s thoughtful independence and strong record with the GOP. He is the candidate with the name recognition and political foundation best suited to the November campaign and to a term in the Senate should he prevail.

Tracy gets our endorsement.