Letter: Which Democrat has best chance to win?

Since the end of World War II, the president's party has lost an average of 26 House seats in midterm elections. For Democrats to keep control of the House in the 2022 elections, they will need to successfully hold districts like Illinois' reconfigured 6th Congressional district, which stretches from Villa Park to Tinley Park and is currently rated "lean Democrat" by The Cook Political Report.

In the June 28 primary, 6th District Democratic voters will need to not only consider whether Rep. Sean Casten, the 6th District incumbent, or Rep. Marie Newman, who now serves Illinois' 3rd Congressional District, would best represent them in Congress. They also need to think about who has the best chance of winning the general election.

Casten is the clear choice on both counts. A resident of Downers Grove, Casten proved he could win in contested suburban districts when he defeated six-term Republican incumbent Peter Roskam in 2018 and held off challenger Jeanne Ives in 2020.

Newman, on the other hand, won in the more heavily Democratic 3rd District. While Dan Lipinski had won this district with 73% of the general election vote in 2018, Newman received just 56% of the vote in 2020.

Although Newman has generally voted with the majority of Democrats since joining the House last year, Casten has emerged as a congressional leader in his two terms, particularly on efforts to prevent the worst effects of climate change. He sits on the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and his work led to funding for clean-energy battery storage and research into low-carbon industrial technologies being included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Residents of the 6th district who want Democrats to keep control of the U.S. House should turn out to vote for Sean Casten on June 28.

Allen Hogg

Downers Grove