Endorsement: Lawson for state Senate from Dist. 49

This endorsement is a consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.

In the race to face incumbent Democratic Sen. Meg Loughran in the November general election for the 49th state Senate seat are three Republicans. Stacey Keagle, a licensed practice nurse; Felicity Joy Solomon, a life coach; and James Lawson, a Plainfield Township Republican committeeman and union electrician.

All three candidates are in agreement on the main issues facing Illinois such as pensions, voting security, the crime bill, climate change and ethics reform.

The No. 1 priority for Lawson is re-instilling confidence in the voting system. He advocates clearing the voter rolls and having everyone re-register.

Keagle says elections need to be audited, and Solomon says Illinois should go back to 100 percent paper ballots.

Solomon's No. 1 priority if elected would be to show that she is a leader who has the heart of the people, and to demonstrate that, she vows to donate 20% of her salary to charity.

Keagle's No. 1 priority is focusing on crime. She states that people will continue to leave Illinois if crime is not brought under control.

Solomon and Lawson are also very critical of the crime bill.

While all three candidates are passionate about running for the 49th Senate seat and are largely in agreement on the issues, we feel James Lawson's experience as a Plainfield Township committeeman tips the scale toward him, and he is endorsed.