Biss, Elleson to face off in congressional forum in Skokie
The two candidates for Illinois’ largely suburban 9th Congressional District seat will debate the issues facing the nation in a public forum this month.
Democrat Daniel Biss of Evanston and Republican John Elleson of Arlington Heights are facing off for the seat in the Nov. 3 election. Incumbent Jan Schakowsky, an Evanston Democrat, isn’t seeking reelection after decades in the U.S. House.
The forum is set for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St. A meet-and-greet session with the candidates will follow at 7:30 p.m.
League of Women Voter organizations representing the communities within the 9th District are organizing the event.
The forum is free to attend and open to the public. Registration isn’t required.
Seating will begin at 6:15 p.m.
People can submit questions for the forum via email at voterservices@lwve.org. The deadline for questions is Sept. 18.
For more information on the event, visit lwve.org.
Biss, who has been Evanston’s mayor since 2021 after time as a state legislator, topped a field of 14 candidates to win the Democratic nomination in March. He’s been endorsed by Schakowsky.
Elleson, a pastor at Lakewood Church in Arlington Heights, defeated three other candidates to win the GOP nomination. He also ran for the seat in 2018 and lost to Schakowsky in the general election.
The Democratic primary was the state’s most expensive congressional battle, with candidates raising and spending millions of dollars to be their party’s nominee.
The Republican contest was a comparatively inexpensive affair. Elleson did little campaigning and didn’t raise enough money to hit the $5,000 threshold that would require financial reports to be filed with the Federal Election Commission. In fact, as of Monday, Elleson has yet to file any paperwork for his current race with the FEC — not even an updated statement of candidacy.
Stretching between Chicago’s North Shore and the Crystal Lake area, the 9th District covers parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties. The seat has been in Democratic hands since the late 1940s.
rlissau@dailyherald.com