Endorsement: Trevor for Democrats in House 54

Maggie Trevor and Ryan Huffman, Democrats vying to take on state Rep. Tom Morrison in Illinois House District 54, have similar platforms. In a joint Q&A with Daily Herald representatives, both began some answers by cordially agreeing with the other.

"The majority of issues, we're in lockstep on," Huffman, 33, a data analyst from Palatine, said of Trevor, 57, a market researcher and business consultant from Rolling Meadows.

How then to choose?

Two differences stand out, and on those Trevor prevails.

One is deep knowledge of the district, which includes Palatine, Rolling Meadows, and parts of Barrington, Hoffman Estates and Inverness. A robust campaign with the financing and backing to win is another.

Trevor grew up in Rolling Meadows and returned five years ago, jumping into civic affairs as a member of two village committees on environment and traffic. That led to involvement in other issues, such as assisting the Islamic Society of the Northwest Suburbs as it sought zoning to relocate and expand a mosque in town.

In 2018 she ran against Morrison and came within 43 votes out of nearly 45,000 cast.

She comes to this election with political and financial backing, finishing the last reporting period with $40,700. That's substantially more than the funds reported by Huffman, who ran in 2018 in the seven-way primary in the 6th Congressional District and finished with just 4% of the vote.

Both candidates are likable, smart and capable, and we hope to see more of Huffman. But for the Democratic nomination in House 54, Trevor has our endorsement.