Endorsement: Duffy over Howland in Senate District 26

The race for the 26th Senate District features two candidates who both say they are independent voices and haven’t received funding from their respective parties. Incumbent Republican Dan Duffy, a small-business man from Lake Barrington, faces a challenge from Democrat Amanda Howland, an attorney and College of Lake County board member. Duffy has been a strong proponent of governmental transparency, pushing legislation that would require local taxing bodies to put more of their financial information on line. And he’s been a big opponent of red-light cameras. Howland ran for state representative without Madigan’s help in 2006 and is doing so again. We are impressed by her knowledge of financial matters, her desire to root out waste in state government and her stance on many social issues. But Duffy has shown that his heart is in the right place on issues important to his constituents, and he deserves another term. Duffy is endorsed. The 26th District covers swaths of northwestern Kane County, southeastern McHenry County and western Lake County, from Lake in the Hills on the west to Libertyville on the north and east to South Barrington on the south.