The 6th District, which includes southern Cook County and eastern DuPage County, as well as part of the Far Southwest Side of Chicago, is the domain of 54-year-old Sean Casten, a principled, Dublin-born Democrat who rightly notes that “the era of Donald Trump has scared people.”
When it comes to bringing home the district bacon, Casten has been effective; he notes that he “brought tens of millions of dollars directly back to the 6th District in specific congressional authorizations, ranging from storm-sewer repairs to a playground for children experiencing homelessness.” But we also find him a substantial thinker, a political pragmatist who understands both the current frailty of this nation and its promise.
“Tribalism is easy to release but hard to put back in the bottle,” he told us. “Any of us who have ever thought differently of a neighbor because of the yard sign they put up in the last election knows that temptation. America’s strength comes from our size and diversity, but it is also our weakness — since that very diversity risks ripping us apart, and once that polarization starts, it feeds on itself.” It sure does.
Casten’s Democratic challenger is Joey Ruzevich, a 28-year-old technology engineer who lives in Chicago’s Mt. Greenwood neighborhood and gave us full answers to our questions, most reflecting policy positions in line with other progressive young Democrats in the congressional races (he is running, such as it is, to Casten’s left).
He seems genial and smart, but Ruzevich does not have any meaningful political experience and has not mounted what we judge to be a competitive campaign. We endorse Casten.
Republican primary
There are two Republicans running to take on Casten: Niki Conforti and Skylar Duensing.
At 25, Duensing is a new generation of Republican and he touts his connection to the late Charlie Kirk, who motivated many young conservatives to get into politics. Duensing is the founder of (and employed by) The United States Patriots Society, a nonprofit organization he describes as “restoring America’s Founding Principles by raising awareness and understanding of the importance of the values of Faith, Family and Freedom.” He also has experience as a guest on many conservative-leaning media outlets.
Duensing answered our questions in impressive detail and most of his positions probably would land him somewhere in the middle of the Republicans in Congress. He also expressed a willingness to work across the aisle.
We have some areas of agreement with Duensing when it comes to taxation, the benefits of competition and worries about the future of Social Security. We admire his desire to run for office as part of Kirk’s legacy. And we don’t doubt his appeal to young voters.
The 62-year-old Conforti, though, has more relevant, real-world experience and is the better choice for Republicans.
A longtime resident of the district, Conforti argues that affordability is the most critical issue to the residents of the 6th District and she places the blame on energy and health care, which is a reasonable argument. She says she’ll push for legislation in the energy space that cuts regulations, thus “pushing speed to power, making energy more resilient and more affordable.” She also said she opposes gerrymandering.
Conforti has our endorsement.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois primary election here.
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