This North Side district, including Uptown and Lincoln Square, has been represented for two terms by Hoan Huynh, who is running for Congress. Five candidates are running in the Democratic primary.
Three of them — community organizer Sunjay Kumar, data analyst Ridge Knapp and military veteran Demerike “Demi” Palecek — are running on platforms well to the left of where we’re comfortable.
That leaves former Deputy Attorney General Adam Braun and Illinois Commerce Commission policy adviser James O’Brien, and both are solid candidates. Our nod goes to O’Brien, who gave us thoughtful ideas on the state’s pension crisis (he’s a supporter of careful use of pension obligation bonds, for example) and is an ardent supporter of enacting state policies forcing localities to act more quickly on proposals to build new housing.
Braun cited his work in Raoul’s office to clamp down on social media and its effect on kids — a cause we embrace as well. But we appreciated O’Brien’s more direct answers to our questions, even if we weren’t fully on board with him (such as his support for progressive income taxes).
James O’Brien has our endorsement.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois primary election here.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
