ENDORSEMENT: Meg Loughran Cappel for Illinois Senate in 49th District Democratic primary

She has demonstrated consensus-building skills as a member of the board of Joliet Township School District 204.

SHARE ENDORSEMENT: Meg Loughran Cappel for Illinois Senate in 49th District Democratic primary
Meg Loughran Cappel, Illinois Senate 49th district Democratic primary candidate, in a meeting with the Sun-Times Editorial Board.

Meg Loughran Cappel, Illinois Senate 49th district Democratic primary candidate.

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Say you have a group of lawmakers who can’t come to agreement on a piece of legislation. Somebody has to step up and find the common ground. That somebody, we believe, could easily be Meg Loughran Cappel, who has demonstrated her consensus-building skills as a member of the board of Joliet Township School District 204.

As a member of the school board, Cappel helped launch a program to provide extra support for special education students, as well as for a growing number of children who are not in special ed but coping with social and emotional problems. I don’t know one friend of mine that is a teacher that doesn’t have a student that struggles with anxiety and other issues,” Cappel, a special education teacher, told us.

Cappel is running for an open seat. The incumbent, Democratic Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, is giving up the Senate seat to run for the position of Will County executive.

Also running are veteran Joliet City Council member Larry E. Hug and independent business consultant Michael Crowner.

Illinois Senate 49th District map.

Illinois Senate 49th District map.

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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