Who wields more political power — Mayor Lori Lightfoot or Gov. J.B. Pritzker? One gauge of that is the Democratic race in the 12th Illinois House District. The candidate Lightfoot has aggressively backed, Jonathan “Yoni” Pizer, faces Margaret Croke, who works in Pritzker’s administration and is heavily supported by the governor. This lakefront seat is open now that incumbent Democrat Sara Feigenholtz replaces John Cullerton in the Illinois Senate. We like Pizer’s credentials — he’s a onetime LBGT community liaison for U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley who preaches meaningful pension reform. But he also wants to find ways to conjure new sales taxes. Not the right approach. Croke also makes reining in Illinois’ pension debt a top priority. And she correctly prioritizes stemming the exodus of people from Illinois; she says convincing young people to attend college in Illinois and stay here afterward is vital to the state’s future. We give Croke the nod over Pizer.