Endorsement: Ugaste for Illinois House Dist. 65
The 65th House District in the Illinois General Assembly has been reliably Republican for decades, but it's getting competitive.
Before attorney Dan Ugaste of Geneva was elected in 2018, Steve Andersson held the seat. Before him, it was Tim Schmitz - for eight terms. Ugaste sneaked past Democrat Richard Johnson two years ago in Ugaste's second campaign for the 65th, and we expect he'll face a tough challenge this time around from Martha Paschke, also of Geneva, a patient intake coordinator for a psychiatric practice.
Like most Republicans, Ugaste has been frustrated by being part of the super minority, and his views hew closely to Republican planks. He favors restricting legislators from lobbying or from becoming lobbyists for at least two years after
they leave the General Assembly. He favors putting new state hires into a defined contribution system, like a 401(k) to slow the pension crisis.
Ugaste understands how Springfield works and brings a levelheaded approach to the job.
Paschke is naturally concerned about the state of health care in Illinois, but she also takes a hard-nosed approach to punishing politicians who abuse the public trust: favoring stripping pensions from those convicted of crimes; fining those who break the rules and creating rules that would limit lobbying.
She has been very involved in her community - with the Geneva Library Foundation and as a founding member of the Kane and Kendall County Moms Demand Action, among other things.
Paschke has energy and passion and we think she has a lot to offer, but we would recommend she learn the ropes by seeking a local office first.
Ugaste is endorsed.
The 65th House District includes all or parts of Batavia, Elgin, Geneva, Hampshire, South Elgin, St. Charles and Pingree Grove.