ENDORSEMENT: Laura Hois for Illinois House in 81st District

Laura Hois has the makings of a solid lawmaker, with a background in local government and the private sector as an in-house counsel to a major corporation.

The Downers Grove Republican is endorsed over incumbent State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, a Democrat who has not been overly visible on the campaign trail. She did not respond to invitations to participate in our endorsement process.

Our endorsement of Hois is not without reservations. We like that she wants to be a strong voice in Springfield for fiscal responsibility. And she earned her way up the political ladder over a decade, serving as Republican committeeman and town clerk of Downers Grove Township.

But her lack of knowledge about laws and legislation with respect to guns and clean energy — two major issues of the day — gives us pause. And so does this: Hois cites health care expenditures, of all things, when asked to give examples of what she called the state’s “reckless” spending. We would never agree.

That said, we also want to note that during her 19-year career as an attorney for McDonald’s Corporation, Hois once led a team of lawyers there to do pro bono legal work on housing on behalf of the poor. It was that experience, she told us, that prompted her to seek political office. We’re hoping this proves a better indicator of what kind of lawmaker Hois might be.

Illustration by Caroline Hurley

To read more Sun-Times endorsements, please go to suntimes.com/political-endorsements. For more information about this race and others, including candidate questionnaires, go to our Illinois voting guide. Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and, in some cases, politically active investors; for details, see our owner information page.

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