Voters in the 10th Congressional District have an opportunity in the March 17 primary to choose a nominee who presents himself as a progressive, Morgan Coghill, or incumbent U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, who leads the party’s 115-member New Democrat Coalition.
Both Schneider and Coghill, a Mundelein resident and business owner, agree that President Donald Trump’s administration policies must be curbed and that Democrats must win control of the U.S. House of Representatives to do so, but have different ideas on what to do with such a majority.
“Our country is facing a five-alarm fire, and it’s spreading fast,” Schneider said. “American cities are being terrorized by federal agents. The cost of living for hard-working families is rising, accelerated by the Trump administration’s arbitrary and capricious policies. People are losing faith in their government and in the promise of America.”
Coghill said the Democratic Party is not paying enough attention to the problems and needs of working-class people. He does not believe members of Congress are working hard enough for the American people.
“I’m running on the 21st Century Bill of Rights,” Coghill said. “Firstly, it’s an economy for all. The first thing we do is tax the billionaires. We can solve many of our problems by having a wealth tax and a higher marginal tax rate. We need to abolish ICE (and) get rid of for-profit prisons.”
Schneider and Coghill exchanged views on affordability, healthcare, immigration, Social Security, healthcare, the Middle East, technology and more during a virtual Lake County League of Women Voters forum on Feb. 19, giving voters an idea of their values.
Coghill focused on dealing with the cost of housing. He said a change is needed in zoning laws to make it easier to build less-expensive homes. He wants to remove tariffs, which are making housing and other needs more expensive.
“We need to get private equity out of the housing market and work on zoning laws,” Coghill said. “For instance, prefab (houses are) less expensive, but a lot of zoning laws don’t allow them to be built. Stupid tariffs on Canadian lumber are driving housing prices through the roof.”
Earlier this month, Schneider said the New Dems introduced a five-point affordability platform which includes reducing the cost of food and basic necessities, housing, healthcare, energy and utilities, as well as the cost of family care — childcare and care for aging parents.
“Affordability is the issue I hear everywhere I go,” Schneider said. “We have to claw back the tariffs.”
Both Schneider and Coghill believe healthcare is a major issue. Schneider said he voted to extend the subsidies provided to people using the Affordable Care Act for their insurance, but the Republican majority went the other way, and they expired.
“Everybody knows healthcare is one of the biggest burdens American families face,” Schneider said. “I believe in a public option. I believe in the richest country in the world, everybody has the right to quality care from doctors they trust, where and when they need it.”
Coghill said several times during the forum that he believes in “Medicare for all” because the current insurance-based system is not working for enough people.
“We need single-payer, and anyone who is not behind it is fooling themselves, or they are in the pocket of big pharma and big insurance,” Coghill said. “We need to take profit out of our healthcare system.”
Reformation of immigration laws is something both Coghill and Schneider want. Coghill said he wants to see citizenship easier to obtain for people who are already in the country, particularly those protected by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
“Triple the number of immigration judges,” Coghill said, as a way to speed the process. “Anyone who is here and not committed a crime should have a pathway to citizenship in four years. Anyone who is here on DACA should be eligible in one year, provided they’ve committed no crimes.”
Since he was first elected to Congress in 2012, Schneider said he has advocated for comprehensive immigration reform. In 2013, it introduced a bill dealing with border security, immigration reform and asylum reform. He considers Trump’s approach a disaster.
“We never should have started immigration detention,” Schneider said. “We need to end separation of families. The laws are outdated. We want to keep out those who want to do us harm, and welcome those who want to achieve the American dream.”
When it comes to America’s involvement in the Middle East, Schneider and Coghill have disagreements. The forum moderator wanted to know how Congress should “shape humanitarian and military assistance to Gaza.” They both went beyond the scope.
A longtime supporter of Israel dating back to before he was elected to Congress, Schneider said during the fighting in Gaza, he worked to ensure supplies for the enclave, the release of Israeli hostages and toward an end to the fighting. He traveled to the Middle East to try to help.
“Support for Israel is a very important issue,” Schneider said. “I am a Zionist. I believe in the Jewish people’s right to a homeland in the national homeland of the Jewish people. I also believe the Palestinians have a legitimate need for a state in their natural homeland.”
Advocating a change, Coghill said he does not want to see the U.S. continue providing military aid to Israel without conditions. America should supply the food, water and medicine Gaza needs.
“Right now, we are in a situation where we are funding genocide,” Coghill said. “We need to block the bombs and condition all aid to Israel on them behaving themselves on the international scene.”
When asked about dealing with artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology, Coghill focused on the impact of data centers and a proposed natural gas pipeline from Antioch to Wisconsin.
“We need to put a moratorium on the AI data centers,” he said. “The natural gas pipeline is a disaster. This pipeline company has a history of having their pipelines explode, and it’s running through prime farmland. Companies should bear the costs of disasters.”
Taking a broader approach, Schneider said the environmental impact of technology is important, but the advancement of AI goes further. He said Congress needs to have thorough discussions on the potential impact of AI on the nation and its residents, such as the loss of jobs.
“It is the threat of replacing workers and doing it at the pace that will create great upheaval,” Schneider said. “We need to address all of those. Congress has to have these conversations to understand what the implications and potential are, make sure we provide for the benefits and also create guardrails to protect against the dangers.”
The 10th District extends along the Wisconsin state line, from Lake Michigan to just west of Hebron in McHenry County. The Lake County portion hugs the shoreline south to Lake Cook Road, and continues west to the eastern part of Buffalo Grove. From Buffalo Grove, the district goes northwest on a jagged path through Mundelein, Fox Lake and into McHenry County. It includes portions of northeast Cook County, too.
Early voting is underway from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the Lake County Courthouse & Administration Building in Waukegan, and expands to 11 other locations throughout the county on March 2.
