EDITORIAL: Tribune endorsements for U.S. House

Feb. 28--Do you know who represents you in Congress? There's a good chance you don't, given the contorted map of U.S. House districts that was approved after the last census count. There's also a good chance that, come November, you won't see much competition for Congress, given how that map created many safe seats.

There are a few genuine choices in the March 18 primary elections for the House. The Tribune begins endorsements today in contested races. More will appear on Sunday.

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, a Democrat from Naperville, was elected in 2008 and defeated in 2010, then beat veteran Republican Rep. Judy Biggert in 2012 after Democratic mapmakers carved out a friendlier district for him. Republicans are betting that it's not friendly enough, though. Four Republicans are running in the 11th Congressional District.

Two of them are particularly impressive: State Rep. Darlene Senger, of Naperville, and businessman Bert Miller, of Hinsdale. It's a tough call. Our endorsement goes to Senger.

Miller recently retired as president of a Naperville company that makes plastic bottle caps. He's a former chairman of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association and a host of business leaders praise him. He would promote ideas that expand the tax base through job creation.

Senger, a third-term lawmaker, was a leader in crafting the pension reform law approved last year in Springfield. Other Republicans ducked and dodged. She stepped up, and we give her great credit for that. She has also been a reliable supporter of education reform and business development.

She and Miller agree on most issues and would be practical, consistent conservatives. Both say they would have voted (albeit reluctantly) for the two-year budget deal reached by Congress, rather than risk a shutdown of the government. Senger has a legislative track record that inspires confidence, and she has our support.

Also on the ballot are Grundy County Board member Chris Balkema of Channahon and private investigator Ian Bayne. of Aurora. Craig Robbins, a human resources consultant from Lisle, will appear on the ballot, but he has withdrawn from the race.

Two Republican candidates in the 3rd Congressional District want the chance to take on Rep. Dan Lipinski, one of the more independent Democrats in Congress. Sharon Brannigan and Diane Harris complain that Lipinski has not voted for efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But Lipinski did stand up to party pressure and vote against the ACA when it passed. He was the only Illinois Democrat to do so. Lipinski has focused on efforts to change the law rather than lend support to the going-nowhere moves to repeal it.

Harris, an insurance agent from Joliet, lives just outside the district boundaries. She wants to repeal the ACA, but to run a credible campaign in the fall she's going to need to offer some alternatives on health care. She will also need a real agenda on how to rein in government spending. Brannigan, a Palos Township trustee, provided answers to our candidate survey questions that were copied from published sources. That's a disqualifier. Harris is endorsed.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez has two Democratic challengers in the 4th Congressional District. They complain that Gutierrez devotes most of his energy to a single cause -- immigration reform. This is not a good year for that argument. House Republicans' halting steps toward a comprehensive immigration fix give us hope that a bipartisan agreement is within reach, and Gutierrez is well-positioned and eager to broker that compromise. It is an essential issue for many of his constituents. "In order to get a bill to the president's desk for enactment this year, the House will need to craft an approach that is palatable to the Republican majority," he says. Gutierrez could prove indispensable in that effort.

We're impressed with Alexandra Eidenberg, of Chicago, who sells insurance. That has put her up close and personal with the Affordable Care Act. She likes the law on balance, but says it burdens small businesses like her own. She says she's done enough "number diving" to understand that tough choices will have to be made to protect Medicare and Social Security. Jorge Gerardo Zavala, also of Chicago, talks mostly about local issues, such as state health clinics that have been closed in his neighborhood. He says immigration "really isn't a priority anymore." Strikes us that he might be thinking about a race for alderman. Gutierrez is endorsed.

Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth defeated GOP Rep. Joe Walsh in 2012 and now two Republicans want to claim the 8th Congressional District seat. Manju Goel, a health care efficiency consultant who lives in Aurora, is our choice over Larry Kaifesh, a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves who is from Carpentersville. The candidates hold similar positions on most issues, but Kaifesh speaks in broad strokes while Goel has a far deeper understanding of policy.

On Social Security, for example, Kaifesh advocates "courageous, smart and effective reformation" -- nothing wrong with that -- but Goel is willing to get specific. She supports raising the retirement age for those who are now under 50. Goel argues convincingly that untangling the ACA and Medicare are right in her wheelhouse: Her work requires her to analyze and streamline medical protocols, electronic records systems and the like. "We need process improvement, just as private companies do, which is my specialty and expertise," she says. Let's acknowledge that Goel lives outside the district. Still, Goel is endorsed.

Two years ago, we were encouraged to see a strong Republican candidate in the new and slightly less blue 9th Congressional District. Tim Wolfe, of Arlington Heights, provided some valuable counter-programming to Rep. Jan Schakowsky, of Evanston, who nonetheless coasted to victory. Neither Republican running this time looks like a viable challenger. Susanne Atanus, of Niles, says autism, subzero winters and downstate tornadoes are God's wrath unleashed over abortion and same-sex marriage. Her economic plan -- "positive daily returns" -- calls for companies to distribute profits to shareholders at the end of every day, thereby stimulating spending. Chicagoan David Earl Williams III, a Navy veteran, identifies himself as a model/promoter/novelist/logistic specialist. He acknowledges that a judge in Washington D.C. recently issued a civil order of protection against him, based on a complaint by a former girlfriend. Williams says the complaint is baseless. No endorsement.

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