Congress, 1st (D): Bobby Rush

Incumbent 1st District Congressman Bobby Rush has delivered for his district over the years. He has brought close to $2 billion of federal funding to a district that badly needed it. As one example, he obtained a $1 million grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research for the Illinois Institute of Technology to figure out ways to detect chemical and biological agents.

Two of his opponents are good candidates. Harold Bailey is a longtime Chicago Park District manager, and Fred Smith is program director at Maryville Academy. Third opponent Joanne Guillemette is an unknown quantity. None of them can do for the district what Rush can, however.

Bobby Rush deserves to win the Democratic primary for another term in Congress.

Congress, 3rd (D): Dan Lipinski

Sometimes we’ve endorsed 3rd District Congressman Dan Lipinski in the past, and sometimes we’ve endorsed his opponent — usually because Lipinski was cozying up to his Republican Congressional allies too much for our tastes.

Lately, Lipinski’s focused on bread-and-butter Democratic issues: job creation, public transportation, and health care. His opponent, Jorge Mujica, is a community activist and champion of immigrants’ rights and unions. Mujica would make a good, progressive Congressman, and for voters looking for a change, Mujica is a good choice. Lipinski, however, has become a good choice, too. He’s done what we’ve asked him to do and focused on issues important to the district. Lipinski lately has achieved a good record and deserves to build on it. We endorse Dan Lipinski for Congress in the 3rd District.

Congress, 7th (D): Danny Davis

Because he flirted with a run for County Board president and considered retiring from Congress, incumbent 7th District Representative Danny K. Davis faces more opposition than he usually does. His opponents are real estate broker Jim Ascot and Deputy County Recorder of Deeds Darlena Williams-Burnett.

Williams-Burnett would make a stellar congresswoman. We’ve fought against the forced relocation of public housing residents for decades, and this is one of her top issues. In her current role, she developed a good anti-identity theft plan. In a short time as a county commissioner, she played a key role in Stroger Hospital’s replacing old, worn-out Cook County Hospital. Davis, however, has been a very good congressman, responsible for community renewal, legislation to help ex-offenders reintegrate into society, suicide prevention, education legislation, and postal reform. Holding bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, he is one of the most educated members of Congress.

It’s a tough call. Unlike the Chicago Tribune in the Democratic race for governor, we’ll do our job and make that tough call, however. Were Davis not in the race, we would be endorsing Williams-Burnett. Williams-Burnett would be a great successor to Davis, but not this time. We are endorsing Danny K. Davis for Congress this year. We expect to endorse Williams-Burnett some time in the future after Congressman Davis retires. Nonetheless, you still can vote for Williams-Burnett this year, as she is running for State Central Committeewoman. In the 7th District, we also endorse Darlena Williams-Burnett for State Central Committeewoman, and Danny K. Davis for State Central Committeeman.

State senator, 1st (D): Antonio Munoz

Three years after the 2007 aldermanic elections, losing 25th Ward candidate Cuauhtemoc Morfin and his attorney Adolfo Mondragon still are in court. Now Mondragon wants to be state senator from the 1st District. Although he’s well-educated and earnest, we feel he would be a more viable candidate if he’d spent more time being active in the community and less time focusing on an election long decided.

His opponent, incumbent Antonio Munoz, has been a good senator. He’s worked on and gotten legislation passed on issues important to the community, such as immigrants, parks, crime, and education. He has brought state money to a district that desperately needs it. We endorse Antonio Munoz for the Democratic nomination for 1st District State Senator.

State representative, 2nd (D): Edward Acevedo

Of the four candidates in this race, Edward Acevedo, Richard G. Schultz, Robert Martinez, and Josip “Joe” Trutin, we feel this one comes down to Trutin and Acevedo.

We like Trutin’s commitment to a new 31st Street bus route and his opposition to coal-fired generating plants in the community and to the use of tax-increment financing (TIFs). If you want a change in this district, Trutin’s your candidate. Acevedo has been a good state rep, however, sponsoring anti-crime legislation and obtaining state money for programs in the district. We like the issues he plans to focus on if re-elected: helping children, the elderly, and the disabled.

The Gazette endorses Edward Acevedo in the Democratic primary for state rep in the 2nd District.

State representative, 4th (D): Cynthia Soto

Incumbent Cynthia Soto has done a good job, sponsoring the Living Wage Act and working to extend Medicaid to low-income women for cancer treatment. If re-elected, she would work to reinstate a property tax cap. The Gazette endorses Cynthia Soto in the Democratic primary for state rep in the 4th District over unknown challenger Jose Massas.

State representative, 5th (D): Kenneth Dunkin

Incumbent Kenneth Dunkin has focused on reducing domestic violence, sustaining and creating new businesses, preventing identity theft, and providing affordable childcare and healthcare. He crafted a bill later passed into law that would create a program to enable more men to receive prostate cancer evaluation and treatment. We like the fact that he’s looking at actually balancing Illinois’ budget and that he has the gumption to support a slight sales tax on services — few politicians are willing to consider tax hikes to fill the $13 billion hole that the state finds itself in.

Challengers are attorneys Gwendolyn Drake and David Schroeder. We see no need to make a change, and support Kenneth Dunkin in the Democratic primary for state rep in the 5th District.

State representative, 9th (D): Dorothy Walton

This one is wide open, with longtime 9th District state rep Arthur Turner Sr. leaving office to run for lieutenant governor. His son, Arthur Turner Jr., is barely running a campaign and apparently hopes that name recognition will carry him to office. Other candidates that will confuse voters are the similarly named Gift House CEO Bruce L. Jackson and community activist Keith L. Jackson. Also in the race are investor John Burros, carpenter Jerry L. Patton, and real estate agent and community activist Dorothy Walton. Add to the mix that the district’s demographics are changing. What was once a predominantly low-income African American district is seeing an influx of gentrifiers of all ethnic backgrounds.

We like Burros, Keith L. Jackson, and Walton. Burros is an environmentalist. More importantly, he has some good ideas about economics — lower property taxes for seniors, while instituting a progressive tax on the rich. Keith Jackson was heavily involved in local residents winning concessions during the United Center Development project and has helped create nearly 30 community organizations that play a vital role in West Haven and on the West Side.

Walton has had fought for fair compensation for former Cabrini-Green residents and has been active in the community in West Haven. Her view of the future makes us feel that Walton would be the best person for state rep. She would work on ex-offender reintegration programs, and she promises to meet frequently not only with community residents but with elected officials from other branches of government to find cross-governmental solutions to problems.

The Gazette endorses Dorothy Walton for the Democratic primary for state rep in the 9th District.

State representative, 10th (D): Annazette Collins

We can understand why with an open seat so many candidates have filed in the 9th District primary. Oddly, the 10th has even more, even though there is an incumbent in the race. Candidates are State Rep Annazette Collins, advocacy consultant Jonathan Goldman, small business advocate Joseph Sneed, attorney Mable Taylor, outreach coordinator Keith D. Muhammad, and police sergeant Eddie Winters.

We particularly like that Collins has expanded mammogram coverage for women who do not have health insurance. African American women have a 117% greater chance of dying from breast cancer than Caucasian women, and so Collins has truly served her district with this legislation. But she has not only focused on her district, as she worked on legislation creating drug courts in every county in the state.

Annazette Collins deserves another term, and we support her in the Democratic primary for state rep in the 10th District.