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Endorses Helland
The race
Illinois Appellate Court, District 3 (the McDade vacancy), is on the November 3, 2026 ballot — a genuinely partisan race: Jason Helland (R) against Margaret "Peggy" O'Connell (D). Both are sitting circuit judges; the Illinois State Bar Association evaluated both, and Vote411 carried both candidates' own answers.
Jason Helland (R). La Salle County circuit judge since 2022, sitting in the Civil Division; before that Grundy County State's Attorney and a Kankakee County assistant state's attorney — a prosecutor's career. He helped establish the Grundy County Mental Health Court. The ISBA's judicial evaluation — which investigates litigation experience, integrity, temperament, impartiality, and legal ability — found him Recommended, and its advisory poll scored him 62.02 on recommendation with marks led by court management (77.97) and integrity (74.22); attorneys described him as "compassionate and fair."
Margaret O'Connell (D). DuPage County circuit judge since 2020, currently presiding judge of the Felony Division, overseeing six felony courtrooms, drug court, and first-appearance court. In her own Vote411 answer: a lawyer for 34 years who "wrote and argued dozens of cases in the Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court," practiced in federal district court and the Seventh Circuit, and co-authored a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court. Her campaign stresses that "justice should be fair, transparent, and accessible to all" and a career "advocating for those who may not have a voice."
Pros and cons
Helland: Credits: Prosecutor-then-judge record, a mental-health court built, and an independent ISBA "Recommended" finding after a full-criteria investigation. Dirt/limits: His appellate experience is thinner than his opponent's — he argues cases upward less and has judged for four years against her six; no ethics file surfaced. O'Connell: Credits: The deeper appellate-practice file in this race, by her own sourced account, plus presiding-judge responsibility for a felony division — genuine credits, stated at full weight. Dirt/limits: She runs as the Democrat in a partisan race on an access-and-advocacy frame ("advocating for those who may not have a voice") that describes an advocate's virtue, not a judge's restraint; no proven restrained bench record was retrieved to rebut the party-line inference.
OUR CALL
Our call: endorse Jason Helland. Both candidates are qualified — the ISBA file and O'Connell's own résumé prove that, and we print it. The call turns on the documented difference: a Republican prosecutor-judge with an independent bar recommendation, against a Democratic candidate whose stated philosophy is advocacy carried onto the bench. Under our doctrine the exception for a Democrat requires a proven restrained record; none was found despite a symmetric search of her campaign site, questionnaire, and coverage.
Vote Jason Helland.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website. Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same. --- Sources — Vote411 — Illinois Appellate Court, 3rd District (McDade Vacancy) voter guide, incl. O'Connell's questionnaire answers — https://onyourballot.vote411.org/m/candidate-detail.do?id=71686236 • Illinois State Bar Association — judicial evaluations and advisory poll, Helland Recommended — https://www.isba.org/judicial-elections/counties/bureau • O'Connell campaign — candidacy announcement — https://www.judgeoconnell.com/press-releases/judge-margaret-o-connell-announces-candidacy-for-illinois-appellate-court • 2026 United States judicial elections compilation — roster — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_judicial_elections AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.