The district, traditionally the home of many first responders and filled with moderates who value common sense and old-school community service, includes such Southwest Side neighborhoods as Beverly and Mount Greenwood as well as all or part of Alsip, Orland Park, Worth and Palos Heights, among other suburbs. Mary Gill, a moderate Democrat, currently holds the seat.
In the Republican primary, Chuck Lay, a self-employed resident of Beverly with a background in the technology field, vies against David Dewar, 59, the owner of his own company, Tax-Free Retirement Solutions. Dewar’s search engine-friendly materials leave no doubt as to where this resident of Mount Greenwood Heights stands, declaring Lay is “running as a TRUMP KIRK MAGA RED INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT (his capitalization) within the Republican Party.” More specifically, Dewar told us he advocates for an end to Illinois’ “sanctuary state status,” the repeal of the no cash bail provisions of the SAFE-T Act and other MAGA-friendly positions. Republican leadership surely is well aware that he has little chance of unseating Gill.
Given the reality of the extreme-MAGA opposition, Charles “Chuck” Lay, of Morgan Park, is by far the shrewder choice for Republican voters in the district, even if he was not responsive to us. Lay, who was raised in a Pennsylvania steel town, Aliquippa, is a more traditional Republican, at least as far as we can tell, focused on “reining in spending,” supporting “pro-active” policing and increasing parental voices in education.
Chuck Lay is endorsed.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois primary election here.
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