By Townhall Chicago News Staff
The Chicago Tribune editorial board has endorsed Republican Darby Hills over incumbent Democratic Rep. Nabeela Syed in the race for an Illinois state Senate seat, citing Syed’s abstention from a vote on a transit funding package, according to information cited during a radio broadcast on AM 560 The Answer.
Syed, who currently holds the House District 51 seat, is seeking to move up to the Senate this cycle. She publicly opposed the transit package but did not cast a vote on the floor when it came up for a decision, according to the broadcast account of the Tribune’s endorsement.
Syed’s campaign reported $1.171 million in transfers during the third quarter, according to state campaign finance filings cited on the broadcast. The filings list $72,800 each from the Laborers’ International Union of North America and the IBEW Illinois PAC, $71,800 from a carpenters’ union fund, $72,800 from a teachers’ union political fund, and $725,000 from the Illinois Senate Democrat Fund. A northwest suburban teachers’ group also contributed $25,000, according to the same filings.
Additional contributions reported after the third-quarter filing period included $480,000 from Illinois Senate Democrats, $40,000 from a teachers’ union political fund and $10,000 from Gov. JB Pritzker, according to the filings cited on the broadcast.
The broadcast also referenced a political contribution from NAKASEC, described on air as a Korean American and Asian American advocacy organization, though the specific dollar amount was not given. Hosts separately referenced a $300,000 state grant to the Hannah Center, an affiliate of NAKASEC described as a welcoming center, though the funding agency, year and terms of that grant were not detailed.
Hills is running as the Republican candidate for the seat. His campaign’s fundraising totals were not discussed in the available source material, and no response from Syed’s campaign to the Tribune endorsement was included.
The seat is open because current District 51 Rep. Nabeela Syed is seeking to move from the Illinois House to the state Senate in this election cycle.
The transit package was described on the broadcast as a rescue package for regional transit agencies, the subject of the floor vote Syed is said to have skipped despite her public opposition to the measure.
