Endorsement: Schakowsky over Wolfe in 9th Congressional District

We're more than a little torn about our endorsement in the 9th Congressional District. We have endorsed Jan Schakowsky of Evanston in the past and in particular are charmed by the deep passion she brings to public service. However, her politics are generally more liberal than our tastes and she often acts with a partisanship that is counterproductive. Now that she has a new district reaching from her old terrain in Chicago and the North Shore far into the more moderate Northwest suburbs, we hope she will modify her approach to one that would be more constructive and in keeping with the sentiments of her new constituency. Despite those reservations, we're impressed by Schakowsky's leadership role as chief deputy whip of the House Democrats. That standing provides a benefit for suburban voters. Primarily for that reason, Schakowsky wins our endorsement over Republican Timothy Wolfe, a conservative from Arlington Heights hoping to be elected to public office for the first time. Wolfe has rightly made jobs and the economy a center of his candidacy, but his campaign does not seem to have built the kind of financial and organizational support to make it a viable threat to Schakowsky's re-election.