ENDORSEMENT: Bill Foster for Congress in 11th District Democratic primary

Bill Foster is “The Science Guy,” like on TV. We urge Democratic voters to keep tuning him in.

The rather dry science- and technology-related issues that Foster tends to focus on don’t get much notice on the cable news shows, but they can matter greatly. Foster is exactly right, for example, that automation is swiftly taking the jobs of workers in factories and warehouses across the country, and that our nation must fashion a humane response, such as by subsidizing better continuing education for displaced workers.

Foster has sponsored bills to increase funding for medical-assisted treatment for opioid addicts and research into painkillers that do not involve opioids.

This Democratic primary, like so many others in this election cycle, pits a left-of-center incumbent who seeks incremental progress — that would be Foster — against a younger, more overtly progressive and impatient challenger — that would be Foster’s opponent, Rachel Ventura. She is a member of the Will County Board.

In this race, we’ll take Foster’s incrementalism this time. His legislative priorities are sensible, and he has far more legislative experience.

We endorse Foster.

Illustration by Caroline Hurley

For more information about this race and others, including candidate questionnaires, go to our Illinois primary 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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