Illinois House endorsements in close races.

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Chicago Tribune Opinion

Monday, February 16, 2026

Good morning.

We're still in the endorsement season and Monday we're continuing our work endorsing in the Illinois House races, statewide. This crop has some especially interesting races including in the 76th District (in and around DeKalb), where we are endorsing Liz Bishop, the Republican nominee in a close race, "By lowering the overall tax burden," Bishop told us, "we can attract new job creators, expand the tax base, and collect more taxes from a larger group of taxpayers. Most importantly, this would create more opportunities for our children once they enter the workforce, instead of driving them away to other states with more to offer."

Sunday we offered our view on the U.S. Senate primary races and were especially impressed with "just-call-me" Raja Krishnamoorthi on the Democratic side and Don Tracy on the Republican side; we noted the delicious irony of Tracy, the very decent former chairman of the Illinois Republicans who was vanquished by MAGA warriors, getting the last laugh.

Our Opinion section is stacked with interesting articles, including an arresting, must-read piece from Jessica Biggs and Che "Rhymefest" Smith lamenting mayoral interference in the process to find a new CEO of Chicago Public Schools. "The process was working well — until November, " they write. "That is when the mayor and his allies on the board started running political interference. Instead of moving forward to a conclusion, they have repeatedly tampered with the agreed-upon process."

Today we have pieces in honor of Presidents Day and, of course, we have your letters on the Archer Avenue concrete barrier controversy and more.

If you're off today, enjoy your day. Alas for us, we are all toiling away on yet more endorsements.

— Chris Jones, editorial page editor

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Editorial: Liz Bishop for Illinois 76th House District Republican primary

We believe Liz Bishop is the right choice for Republicans who'd like to see more members of their party in a position to curb Democratic excesses.

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Tribune Editorial Board endorsements for 2026 Illinois primary election

In the 2026 primaries, the Tribune Editorial Board endeavors to help both Republican and Democratic Party-affiliated readers make their best choices.

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Editorial: Our thoughts on the primary race for Dick Durbin's Senate seat

Know your Democratic lane in the U.S. Senate race, voters.

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School board members: Chicago should wait for a elected board before hiring a permanent CPS CEO

There is only one responsible path forward: Retain Macquline King as CEO until the school board is fully elected.

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Clarence Page: Attorney General Pam Bondi shows loyalty to her audience of one

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose actions have descended to a low standard, plays to "an audience of one," namely the president.

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Pegah Banihashemi: The world rewards Iran's bloodiest crackdown with diplomacy

The Islamic Republic has succeeded in compelling the international community into silence in the face of mass killing.

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Michael Peregrine: President Dwight D. Eisenhower deserves history's gratitude, not its indifference

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was hardly a "do nothing" president. His record of service to the nation is simply unparalleled.

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Erin Carlson Mast and Shawn Healy: On Presidents Day, we should consider our civic legacy

The question is not simply how we teach young people about civics but the role we all play in supporting civic learning.

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Liz Shulman and William Liang: Why aren't we talking about the harm AI is doing to students?

Despite the evidence showing AI is killing students' critical thinking skills, schools have signed contracts with Big Tech companies.

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Letters: The protected bike lanes on Archer Avenue have many supporters

Of course, there are opponents of the project, but they do not represent the entirety of the neighborhood.

Read more →

Scott Stantis

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