ENDORSEMENT: Beth Goncher for Illinois Senate in 25th District Republican primary

Republican Jim Oberweis is giving up this seat in the Illinois Senate to run for Congress, and Democrats see a chance to grab it. If Republicans intend to keep it, their best bet is to vote in the GOP party primary for Beth Goncher, a former congressional aide.

Goncher, who lives in Aurora, is a staunch fiscal conservative with legislative know-how, thanks to her work for U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren and former state Rep. Tim Schmitz. She worked four years for Hultgren, starting out as his deputy district director and moving up to run his district office. Hultgren has endorsed his one-time protege.

As an aide to Schmitz, Goncher served as a liaison between constituents and state agencies.

Given that kind of experience in government, Goncher could be an effective legislator on her first day in Springfield. We endorse her over Jeanette Ward of West Chicago, a former member of the District U46 school board.

While on the school board, Ward argued against what she called “global warming pseudoscience” and “anti-American bias” in textbooks. She objected strongly when the district allowed a transgender middle-school student to use a locker room and restroom that matched the student’s gender identity.

To our thinking, Goncher is the better candidate to take on Democrat Karina Villa in this fall’s general election.

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.

Send letters to: letters@suntimes.com