The McHenry County Democratic Central Committee heard eight candidates Wednesday night.

Two seek to unseat incumbent Congressman Peter Roskam in the 6th Congressional District:

• Sean Casten
• Carole Cheney

There are more Democrats running in this suburban congressional district where Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump, but there were elsewhere on Wednesday.

Casten characterized himself as a scientist (a chemical engineer by education) and “clean energy advocate” who had just sold his business after his investors concluded an offer was too good to refuse.

He didn’t give me the name of his firm, but explained that it dealt in produces to reduce carbon dioxide.

There was a bonding with the audience upfront with an attack on President Donald Trump, whom Casten said “abuse[d his] bully pulpit on a daily basis and is “an ethically deficient human being.”

And, Casten added that Trump does not follow facts.

“That drives me crazy as a scientist.”

He said his business found ways to reduce CO2 emissions by 50%.

And that the barriers to development were not technology, but public policies.

Turning to his hoped for opponent, Casten asserted, “Peter Roskam makes things up.

“We need someone who will act as a check and balance on the White House and Peter Roskam doesn’t do it.”

He explained that “climate change is what got me into this.

“Facts [are what drive me].”

Health care bills that Roskam has voted for will “cause 20-30,000 people to die every year,” Casten charged.

Roskam “voted before the CBO {Congressional Budget Office] score.

“We cannot respect people who disagree about where we are,” he continued.

Questions were also allowed.

County Democratic Party Chairman Mike Bissett asked each candidate how he or she would “differentiate yourself” from the other Democrats seeking the nomination.

Casten pointed out that “Roskam’s voting record is wildly divergent from [his constituents best interests].”

In answer to a question about limiting money in political races, Casten pointed out, “Politics is expensive because media is expensive.”

An employee of Jewel-Osco observed that unions now have only 7% membership [perhaps he was referring to private employees].

“Every contract gets worse,” the audience member observed.

“The weakening of unions is designed to weaken the Democratic Party,” Casten replied, saying he was against Right to Work laws.

“The biggest problem is not protecting existing employees, but…creating jobs…”

He pointed out that there were 6,000 jobs in the companies supplying his corporation.

Automation displacing people in jobs was brought up.

Casten contended that innovation was the answer.

He told of a supplier who wanted college students as interns, but since Trump took office is “worried about hiring those from other countries.”

That hesitation was injurious to the American economy, the candidate explained.

Casten said he had met with Roskam and concluded that he was a “tax policy promotor.”

“He denies that climate change is happening.

“At one meeting, I told him I did not support tax credits for technology.

“He said, ‘I don’t want to pick winners and losers.’

“If I ‘m doing what you want me to do, I won’t have any income [because of revenue being invested in expansion of the business].

“Pay us $1,000 to do something,” Casten suggested in place of tax credits.

Roskam explained that it took one vote to pass a tax bill, but two votes to pass a revenue bill.

“We’ll use tax policy for social engineering,” Roskam said.

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What Carole Cheney said tomorrow.