In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard brought together law enforcement officials and residents in this west suburban district for a conversation about race.
She wanted police to hear from people of color “who have been singled out, again and again, for baseless and unconstitutional stops and searches,” she wrote in her candidate questionnaire. And she “also thought it was important for community members to hear our law enforcement leaders talk about their efforts to address systemic racism in policing and criminal justice.”
Costa Howard was building bridges, metaphorically speaking. We can’t picture her opponent, conservative Republican Peter Breen of Lombard, doing the same. Breen held this seat for two terms but was defeated by Costa Howard two years ago.
In her first term, Costa Howard worked with the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association to pass a new law to curb human trafficking. She champions women’s rights on issues of pay and reproductive health, and she has been the rare Democrat to speak out against powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan. We’ve endorsed Costa Howard’s opponent in the past, but we’re siding with her this time around.
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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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