Although a single letter separates their last names, we trust Illinois voters enough to know the Democrat from the Republican in this race.

As much as anything, it is party affiliation that defines these two candidates.

Incumbent Democrat Dick Durbin has served Illinois in the Senate for the past six years. He has represented the parochial interests of the state well, securing funding for road and mass transit programs as well as emergency funding to fight the West Nile Virus.

Durbin argues against unilateral action by the United States in the Middle East. He also maintains tax cuts are forcing the government into deficit spending and diverting money from the Social Security trust fund.

Durkin is the Republican state representative from Westchester. In contrast to his opponent, Durkin says he favors having Saddam Hussein removed from power, whether by force or voluntarily, and agrees with President Bush's tax-cut plan.

Sen. Durbin at times has played the role of political pit-bull for the Democratic Party, leading a voting bloc that has frustrated the efforts of House Republicans, including House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Yorkville. For the most part, however, Durbin has played his partisan role fairly and honestly. He's smart, articulate, well-informed and has been a strong advocate for working-class families.

While Durkin touts his ability to make friends on both sides of the aisle, we see few new ideas.

We suspect that voters in this race will choose candidates along party lines. For those who consider themselves political independents or are not strongly committed either to the elephant or the donkey, the vote often swings on the merits of the incumbent's performance. The burden of proof is on the challenger.

In this case, Durkin doesn't offer a strong enough case for us to call for the ouster of Durbin, and we endorse Durbin for another term in Senate.

Publication: Beacon News
Date: 10/22/02
Author: Editorial

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