For GOP in 8th Congress: Beveridge

There is no shortage of capable candidates running for the Republican nomination for Congress in the 8th District, a seat now held by Democrat Melissa Bean, and we're impressed with many of them.

Most impressive, we think, is business owner and philanthropist Dirk Beveridge of Barrington and we offer him our endorsement.

The 8th District takes in north and southwest Lake County, the bulk of McHenry County north of Crystal Lake and far west portions of the northwest panhandle of Cook County.

While Long Grove Village President Maria Rodriguez makes a strong argument that she may be the most formidable challenger to Bean in a general election, we believe that out of the six Republicans running, Beveridge would make the most effective congressman.

A mainstream conservative, Beveridge reflects traditional Republican philosophy, as do virtually all the candidates in this primary race. But more than most, he has an ability to articulate those views persuasively with the ability to get people to work positively together to solve problems.

In 2004, he co-founded a charitable organization called We Do Care aimed at helping citizens of all political persuasions find ways to support U.S. troops and their families.

Washington has for so long been bogged down in partisanship. It is important to elect representatives willing to work across the aisles to find solutions; we believe Beveridge has the temperament to do that without abdicating his values.

The GOP field in this race has other good candidates. Rodriguez has governed Long Grove well; John Dawson of Barrington has a strong grasp of economics; Chris Geissler of Barrington is solid on the issues.

We are less impressed with the candidacies of Greg Jacobs of Mundelein, whose views seem less thoughtful; and Joe Walsh of Winnetka, who could have run for an open seat in the 10th District but inexplicably chose to pursue a race in a district miles from his home instead.