Editorial: Vela, Harris, Ventura, Keagle, McClure endorsed for Illinois Senate

This is the third and final part of the Tribune editorial board’s statewide endorsements for the primary races for the Illinois Senate.

40th District

Krystyna Vela, a likable 34-year-old real estate agent and single mother from Frankfort, is running against Air Force veteran, firefighter and first responder Philip Nagel in this newly redrawn district, made up of parts of Cook, Will, Grundy, Iroquois and Kankakee counties. The winner will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Patrick Joyce. Vela says that the Senate Republican Caucus asked her to run because, she says, of her years of volunteering and her ability to get things done.

Vela says her number one focus is taxes. “Illinois does not have a revenue problem,” she says, “it has a taxing problem.” Although this is her first run for public office, she says that she is a moderate, center-right candidate convinced, as she knocks on many doors, that most of her constituents are in the same place. No doubt.

Nagel, 39 and a staunch conservative, told us he is one of “a whole group of normal people running against the Springfield establishment,” and he says was motivated to run by the “quarantine mandates pushed on our kids during COVID.” Nagel, who is from Braidwood, also says he is vehemently opposed to “the teaching of sexual content in our schools.”

Vela has our endorsement.

43rd District

This district, an open seat after incumbent Sen. John Connor chose not to run for reelection in this race, features both Republican and Democratic primaries.

On the Republican side, Diane Harris is vice chairman of the Joliet Township Republicans, 23rd precinct committeeman and a member of many boards and organizations throughout Will County. She describes herself as a “social and fiscal conservative.”

She told us she is a big believer in term limits. “If we can get taxing and spending under control,” she said, “a lot of the other problems in the state will be solved. The more we tax the taxpayers, the more likely they are to fall into a hole.” As a longtime local businesswoman, we found by asking around that Harris has a strong reputation for ethical behavior, even among her political opponents.

Michelle Lee, the parent of a mixed-race child, says she has been motivated by the rise of so-called critical race theory in Illinois schools. In particular, she has railed against the Homer Glen 33C school board and much of her campaigning has focused on that issue.

Harris, who says “I believe there will be a red wave,” is endorsed.

Two candidates compete on the Democratic side.

Born, raised and living in Joliet, Rachel Ventura, 41, has been a Will County Board member since December 2018.She also was business director for Legendary Games, an international publisher and now campaigns full time. If elected, she says she plans to work full time as an independently minded state senator.

“I do as I say,” she told us. “I’m honest and ethical.” And she charges her opponent with too many negative ads.

“Every fifth house I visit, someone asks me my position on gun violence,” she tells us. Ventura says she carries a firearms user card and respects the Second Amendment but that “there are so many steps the state could be taking right now to improve gun safety. We need to start looking at guns more like the way we look at vehicles.”

Eric Mattson is also a Joliet native, a firefighter and union president running for office for the first time. He was appointed to the Senate in May as a replacement for Connor. He tells us he supports “funding education at a higher rate” as a way of reducing property taxes. He also said that “as a firefighter, I care deeply about law enforcement” and he promised he would work to ensure that “firefighters have the proper tools to protect our communities.”

Ventura, a feisty, impressive, independent-minded candidate, who generally is to the left of Mattson, says she nonetheless considers herself a middle-of-the-road candidate who is running on local issues “that are neither left or right but bread-and-butter things that matter here.” She is happy to list the several occasions she went against her party to vote for what she felt the people in her region needed. Ventura is endorsed.

49th District

Stacey Keagle, 48, lives in Plainfield and is a mother of four and a grandmother of two. She has been in the health care industry for 30 years, mostly as a nurse. “You’re not going to find a woman who works harder than me,” she says, noting that she began campaigning far sooner than her rivals. She says her focus is on the issues and the people of of Illinois. “The only endorsement I seek is from the people,” she said.

She says the state’s biggest problem is crime. “There is a war on the police,” she says, adding that the state is “unaffordable, especially for our seniors.” On those and other issues, she says, “both sides should start working together.”

Also in the race is Felicity Solomon, a podcaster, life coach and ordained minister from Shorewood. Solomon subscribes to the values of the Kingdom Conservative Party, a religious and patriotic group, and roots her candidacy in Biblical precepts. James Lawson Jr. has been a union electrician for 20 years. His platforms include “protecting our God-given rights, especially the First and Second Amendments” and “reinstalling parental and children’s rights in education.”

Keagle is endorsed.

54th District

Steve McClure, a resident of Springfield who currently represents the 50th district, is seeking reelection in the redrawn 54th district, which covers mostly rural counties in central Illinois, including portions of Sangamon, Macoupin, Christian and Menard counties.

McClure, a lawyer, was an assistant state’s attorney in Sangamon County for six years. Among the legislation he sponsored was allowing front-line DCFS employees to carry pepper spray as personal protection. He told us he sees the big election issues as “inflation, crime and corruption.” He also has been critical of the past actions of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.

Donald DeBolt, who is from Stewardson, is a certified public accountant and a farmer. He has come out in favor of “zero-based budgeting.” A staunch right-winger, he has described his opponent as a “weak-kneed Republican.” He also says he supports entirely eliminating pensions for state lawmakers.

McClure is endorsed.

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