State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills (left) and Democratic nominee Maria Peterson. | Sun-Times file and provided
Democrats are spending big to hold onto one northwest suburban seat and potentially flip another, while Republicans will need to protect a south suburban seat to have any chance of chipping away at Democratic super-majorities in Springfield.
By Mitchell Armentrout | Chicago Sun*Times
Republicans hope to chip away next month at super-majorities in the Illinois General Assembly held by Democrats, who are aiming to strengthen their iron grip on the state Capitol.
Leaders on both sides of the aisle in the Illinois House say they can flip five or more seats in the chamber, where Dems hold a commanding 78-40 edge.
Here’s a look at three Chicago area races in the Nov. 5 election that could tip the balance — or imbalance — of power in Springfield.
52nd District: McLaughlin vs. Peterson
State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, faces a deep-pocketed challenge from Democratic nominee Maria Peterson as he vies for a third term at the helm of this far northwest suburban district that stretches north to Wauconda.
McLaughlin, the former village president of Barrington Hills who owns an investment advisory firm, had about $100,000 in his campaign account at the end of June and raised about $73,000 over the summer. That included support from the Realtor Political Action Committee, the Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC and the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police.
Peterson, of North Barrington, is a retired attorney for the U.S. Dept. of Labor who lost her 2022 state Senate run against former Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie by fewer than 400 votes. She’s raised more than $560,000 for this campaign, much of that coming from funds controlled by Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside.
McLaughlin says he approaches issues as a businessman instead of as a politician, pointing to bipartisan legislation he championed to lower construction costs on engineering projects.
He won reelection by almost five points in 2022 in the once solidly Republican district, which went to President Joe Biden in 2020.
McLaughlin slammed suburban Democrats for campaigning as moderates and then “going to Springfield and voting like hair-on-fire California progressives.” He told the Sun-Times he thinks Peterson “would fit that same mold.”
Read more here.
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