Prairie State Wire

Former Republican state Rep. Peter Breen’s reputation as a fiscal hawk has helped earn him the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune in his 48th District run against state Rep. Terra Costa-Howard.

Breen is hoping the nod will serve to further distinguish him from the Democrat rival to whom he narrowly lost in 2018.

“Many people in our area look to the Tribune for its strong and clear editorial messages in favor of reforming Illinois,” he told the Prairie State Wire. “This endorsement puts you on the side of reform and shows very clearly where voters that want change should go. What’s special is the Tribune took my opponent head on and called her out for still taking money from Mike Madigan even though it’s clear he was part of a federal bribery conspiracy.”

Breen is also quick to point out Costa Howard has continued to take campaign contributions from Madigan even though she was one of a handful of Democrats to call for him to step down after he was recently implicated in a still unfolding federal corruption probe involving ComEd pay-for-play scheme, in which perks were allegedly steered to the speaker in exchange for support on legislation and political appointments.

“In the last week, she declared another $83,000 from Madigan,” he added. “He’s worried he’s going to lose this seat. We’re winning this race with hard work and a lot of enthusiasm for change.”

Breen said all his interactions with voters on the campaign trail have left him convinced they’ve finally had enough.

“Two years ago, a lot of voters wanted nothing to do with any candidate with an R behind their name,” he said. “Today, they’ve returned to the practice of looking for the best candidate, with that we’ve been able to make inroads. Factors like rampant corruption, high taxes and the proposed graduated income tax have people truly looking for alternatives.”