With the presidential election approaching, it’s hard to ignore the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. While it’s important for a party to have its candidate in the White House, it’s even better when one party has a majority in Congress. This makes the representative elections this year essential as well. Amongst such elections is the battle between incumbent Brad Schneider and challenger Jim Carris for Illinois’s Tenth Congressional District, which has been represented by Schneider since 2017. This district includes most of New Trier Township, with the exception of most of Northfield, central and southern Wilmette, as well as areas of Glenview that are part of New Trier; these areas are part of Illinois’s Ninth Congressional District. This district is represented by Jan Schakowsky, who has held office since 1999. She is up against Republican Seth Cohen in this year’s election.

Carris faces tough odds, as Schneider has won by large margins in recent years. Schneider won with 65.59% of the vote in 2018, 63.87% of the vote in 2020, and 63% of the vote in 2022. It will be even harder for Cohen in the Ninth District since Schakowsky has won with over 70% of the vote in the last three elections. 

Senior Ian Flatt, who identifies as conservative, understands the difficult odds the Republicans face.

 “It’s pretty simple. I do expect Democrats to take both of [the races] because we’re in a very liberal area of the country,” Flatt said.

Indeed, Republicans are quite the minority in the North Shore.

“It’s both a blessing and a curse. My voice is way less heard than the liberal voices, and I definitely get frustrated at times,” he said. 

However, Flatt also mentioned that being a conservative at New Trier has its benefits.

”It is a good learning experience, and it preps me to be able to debate with liberals, because I have no choice but to,” he added.

When it comes to political issues, Schneider is seen as more of a moderate Democrat, which has translated positively with some of the members of the community he fosters. One such member of the community is senior Grant Perlberg, who identifies as a moderate, unlike Flatt.

“[Schneider is] a strong presence in the community. A good guy. I’ve seen him. He goes to my synagogue,“ Perlberg said. 

Perlberg also mentioned his biggest concerns as a citizen are “reproductive rights, Israel—being Jewish I think that matters to me—gun control.” These are issues that Schneider himself has prioritized during his time in Congress.

Carris is also pro-choice, a supporter of Israel, and even a proponent of gun control measures. The candidates also both back Ukraine. However, on issues like immigration, the two candidates have opposite stances. Schneider is a proponent of immigration reform while Carris wants a stronger border and a catch-and-release policy.

Regarding the border, Flatt largely echoed Carris’s goals for greater border security.

“It’s pretty simple. We instate remain in Mexico, and I believe that we can secure the border,” he said.

For Schakowsky and Cohen, there is far less common ground. Cohen’s main issues are inflation, immigration, and Israel. Senior Skye Warner, a liberal who lives in the Ninth District, expressed disapproval of Cohen’s limited arsenal of policies.

“What about climate change? National security? Abortion?” she said.

On the other hand, Warner is quite supportive of Schakowsky, expressing agreement with many of her political positions. 

“She’s one of the House’s most progressive members, supports single-payer health care, is part of the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, supports lowering the right to vote to 16 years old, and is the vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus,” Warner said. 

The one bit of consensus that was found among those interviewed is the poor direction the country is headed.

“Regardless if you’re Democrat or Republican, we’re in a very polarized country. Neither side can have a civil conversation with someone from the other side,” Flatt remarked.