Erin Chan Ding, a freelance journalist and progressive, who has written for this newspaper among other outlets, is running against Maria Peterson in the Democratic primary for the 52nd District.
Residence-wise, it’s a battle between South Barrington (Ding) and North Barrington (Peterson), both vying to unseat incumbent Republican Rep. Martin McLaughlin of Barrington Hills in the fall. It’s all Barrington, all the time, though the leafy district also includes Algonquin, Fox River Grove, Inverness, Island Lake, Volo, Wauconda, and western portions of Libertyville and Mundelein.
Ding, 44, sits on the Barrington Community Unit School District 220 Board of Education and touts that experience. She wants to see more “progressive revenue solutions,” wants to “fix” the Tier 2 state pensions (without dealing much with the cost) and supports a progressive state income tax. She’s also opposed to Illinois participating in the federal tax-credit scholarship program. We were impressed with her detailed answers to our questions but her views put her very much on the left of her party.
Peterson, 63, is a former attorney and a small business owner and talks a more moderate game, notwithstanding some progressive positions.
“Nothing matters more than keeping people healthy and alive,” she told us. “As the federal government continues to pull back funding for health care, vaccines, and essential public health services, Illinois must act as a safeguard. I support policies that protect and expand access to affordable health care, preserve vaccination programs, strengthen community health centers, and defend reproductive health care access. No one in our district should delay care, ration medication, or risk their health because of cost or politics.”
Amen to that.
Peterson and Ding share many policy positions and we admire Ding’s energy and smarts, but we feel Peterson, whose parents came to the U.S. from Mexico, will do best when it comes to paying attention to the state’s finances and economic environment and working with Republicans: “I approach policy through a practical lens rooted in basic needs,” she told us. “If a proposal does not meaningfully improve stability, safety, or opportunity, and if it is not funded and enforceable from the start, I will not vote for it, even if that puts me at odds with party leadership.”
Good. Savvy Democrats also should conclude that Peterson has the best chance of prevailing in the fall. Maria Peterson is endorsed.
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.
