Coolidge for 6th District, Congress

Democrats overseeing remapping turned the 6th congressional district into a sprawling behemoth that does their party few favors. Its candidates must campaign from Lake County north over into McHenry and south through Northwest Cook and into DuPage where Republican Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton awaits the winner.

The three Democrats vying for that chance are Barrington Hills accountant Leslie Coolidge, 52, Lake Zurich business owner Geoffrey Petzel, 28, and Barrington retired businesswoman Maureen Yates, 76.

Yates is a feisty liberal who would cast a party-line vote every time, saying she would often ask party veterans how to vote. Petzel has been actively involved in environmental causes. He got into the race after having a heart attack when he had no insurance. While that real-life drama is admirable motivation, his solution — moving to a single-payer health care system — is not something we support. Coolidge also is an environmentalist, but said the debt ceiling stalemate moved her to run. Coolidge wins our endorsement. Noting CPAs are trained to be problem solvers, she pledged to take positions based on facts and the district’s needs, not on political orthodoxy. That we strongly support.