Endorsement: Arad Boxenbaum for 83rd House District
Arad Boxenbaum has lived a great deal in his 21 years.
The Israeli-born Geneva resident was elected to the Geneva Library board at 19 and recently earned a degree in political science from DePaul University.
He speaks on a variety of topics - gun violence, student debt, the cost of prescription medicine and more - with passion and a confident thoughtfulness.
But he has plenty of practical experience, too. When he lived in Buffalo Grove in 2018, the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, in which 17 were killed and 17 more injured, moved him and a friend to organize a petition drive that resulted in Congressman Brad Schneider and state and county officials meeting with frightened high school students to talk about gun safety.
What impresses us about Boxenbaum beyond his passion is the practical work he's done in politics, organizing for Mike Quigley for Congress and Pete Buttigieg and then Joe Biden for president. As a college student, he ran the successful campaign for the mayor of Crystal Lake.
He faces Matt Hanson, of Aurora, an engineer for the BNSF railroad who is serving his first term on the Kane County Board.
Both are pro-labor and favor a ban on assault rifles in Illinois. What sets them apart are specifics and experience, and despite his age, Boxenbaum has the advantage in both areas. He is endorsed.
The winner of the primary will face Republican Keith Wheeler in November.