Having served 17 years, Congressman Mike Quigley, 67, is well known to us, as he is to his constituents, and we’ve discussed a wide range of issues with him, from Donald Trump’s unhelpful tariffs to the egregious actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. We know him to be a genial and effective congressman of this district, both principled and pragmatic. And his experience as a U.S. House appropriator certainly has benefited a district that includes much of Chicago’s affluent North Side (the likes of Wrigleyville, Lakeview and Lincoln Park) and moves on to suburbs like Des Plaines, Elmhurst and Arlington Heights.
“Everything costs too much,” Quigley told us on his most recent visit. “And I am adding government to that list.”
Quigley occupies a more centrist lane than many Chicago-area Democrats, but we also find him principled. Democratic voters also should be aware that Quigley has “soft launched” a run for mayor of Chicago. How that will go remains to be seen.
All of Quigley’s challengers are politically inexperienced but impassioned Democrats running to the incumbent’s left. None are credible challengers; Matt Conroy is the more reasoned and moderate of the three.
Conroy is currently unemployed although he notes his experience “across manufacturing, real estate technology, real estate and financial services.” He told us he supports Medicare for All because health care should be a basic right for all Americans and that he would “never vote to fund genocide or illegal wars.” He also said he wants universal childcare, a “carefully designed” national wealth tax and believes that U.S. immigration policy should reflect “our values, our history and our humanity.” Indeed. Conroy has never held elected office, but did answer our questions in impressive detail. As a biographical note, Conroy, now a Chicagoan, was born in Brooklyn, New York; his father was killed in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The very progressive Ellen Corley, a former teacher and first-time politician, is funding her own campaign. She expressed opposition to what she called “neoliberal policies” on the grounds that they have “benefited foreign corporate powers associated with the national security state, which has resulted in increased militarized policing and abuse of power by ICE, Homeland Security and Chicago Police Department counterintelligence forces abusing their illegal surveillance and violation of human rights by giant global monopolies like Palantir.” That gives you a flavor of the Georgia-born Corley’s style.
Anthony Michael Tamez, a 26-year-old Native American, is a member of the Chicago Police District Council, representing District 17. He did not respond to our questions and has not mounted what we judge to be a substantial campaign.
Republican primary
On the Republican side, Barry Wicker, 75, is an engineer without political experience. He did not give sufficiently detailed answers to our questions. Kimball Laveen is an eccentric, perennial candidate who also had nothing to say to us.
That leaves Tommy Hanson, a small-business owner in the realm of commercial real estate and another perennial candidate. Hanson is the best of these three noncredible candidates for our very conservative readers (he emphasizes law and order and opposes both reproductive rights and women serving in combat). But we cannot endorse any of them; Republican voters are, to our minds, without a viable candidate in this safe Democratic district.
Quigley is endorsed.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois primary election here.
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