52nd Illinois House candidates differ on cash bail, school choice and Bears

The race for the 52nd District Illinois House seat is a rematch between incumbent Republican state Rep. Marty McLaughlin and Democratic challenger Maria Peterson.

McLaughlin, of Barrington Hills, beat Peterson, of North Barrington, by less than 50 votes in 2024 to hold onto his seat in the General Assembly.

The two differ on a number of issues, including school choice, the elimination of cash bail and Chicago Bears stadium proposals.

At a recent League of Women Voters forum, the candidates were asked about a new federal tax credit program for donations to organizations that award private school scholarships, created by the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in 2025. Illinois has to decide whether to participate.

“I am overall against school voucher systems,” said Peterson, vice chair of the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals.

McLaughlin, a former village president of Barrington Hills, said “choice in all things is good, particularly education.”

He said proficiency in math and reading has dropped, while education costs have escalated and criticized state Democrats for not renewing the Invest in Kids program, which awarded tax credits for donations that funded private school scholarships.

Peterson argued that school vouchers give tax dollars to private schools that aren’t required to follow all Illinois State Board of Education guidelines.

“So we don’t know if those children are learning exactly what they need to learn,” she said.

The two also disagree over the state’s elimination of cash bail.

McLaughlin said it has created significant problems with repeat offending and public confidence in the criminal justice system.

“In the 52nd District, we have experienced concerns involving robberies, residential and commercial burglaries, vehicle thefts, car break-ins and smash-and-grab incidents,” he wrote in reply to a Daily Herald questionnaire.

“The police should be preventing and solving crimes and protecting the public — not repeatedly dealing with the same offenders who cycle through the system,” he added.

Peterson wrote that violent crime has declined in Lake County, Chicago and statewide since cash bail ended in 2023. Violent offenders can't buy their way out of jail, and poor people aren't jailed for being poor, she added.

“The law did not end pretrial detention. Judges now decide whether to detain based on risk to the community or flight risk, not cash,” Peterson wrote.

Both support keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois, but disagree on the approach.

McLaughlin introduced legislation he said would give the NFL team the property tax certainty it wants, as well as state funding for infrastructure improvements around a privately funded stadium.

“If we're going to have an $8 billion development in the state, particularly 10 minutes from here, I think it's super important that we actually get off our rear ends in Springfield,” he said.

Peterson does not support using public money to build a Bears stadium.

She called McLaughlin “Hail Mary Marty,” saying he wants to hurl tax dollars downfield to “save the billionaire Bears,” rather than putting it toward schools and real estate taxes.

“I would support public investment in roads, transit and infrastructure that serve the broader community, not just the Bears,” she wrote. “But public dollars belong in our schools, public safety, infrastructure and health care, not in the stadium itself.”

The 52nd District includes the Barrington area, as well as parts of southwest Lake and southeast McHenry counties.

szalusky@dailyherald.com