Key races across Cook County will be decided by voters in the upcoming 2024 primary and general election.
In the highly contested run for incumbent Danny K. Davis’ seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, many eyes will be on Kina Collins as she tries for a third time to take the seat. Others will be wondering about Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who has been under fire for alleged ethics violations.
Earlier this year, Kim Foxx announced she would not seek reelection as the Cook County State’s Attorney. A few candidates are running to fill the seat, affecting many pressing criminal justice issues in Cook County.
Here’s what to know about the upcoming primary elections, the candidates and how to vote.
Who is running?
Federal
U.S. House of Representatives, 7th District
2-year terms
- Melissa Conyears-Ervin
The Chicago City Treasurer and former state representative officially announced she was running earlier this year. She, like Davis, is running amid allegations of unethical conduct. In Springfield, according to her biography, she passed bills to provide more funding for affordable childcare and new, more equitable funding for Chicago Public Schools. In a 2020 letter, Tiffany Harper, Conyears-Ervin’s former chief of staff, and Ashley Evans, another city treasurer employee, said they were fired in retaliation after they questioned what they described as the abuse of power. The city settled with the ex-employees. Conyears-Ervin has denied the allegations. However, an Office of Inspector General investigation found this was a case of retaliation and the Chicago Board of Ethics ratified the findings Nov. 13. She can contest the results.
- Danny K. Davis
Davis, the 82-year-old Democratic incumbent, has been in this seat for nearly three decades, totaling 14 terms in the position. However, his seat isn’t safe this year in a highly contested primary. He announced last June that he would run for reelection yet again. He is a former educator, community organizer and civil rights advocate. He is known for his work on healthcare and criminal justice reform. According to The Intercept, he is facing scrutiny in connection with using Congressional funds to buy campaign advertising. He has denied the allegations.
- Kouri Marshall
This is Marshall’s first run for office. He worked on former U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, for former First District Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin and for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. He now serves as a director of state and local public policy for the Chamber of Progress, a trade organization for technology companies. Marshall told Austin Weekly News last year that he respected Davis’ decades of service but added that his campaign was about the future.
- Nikhil Bhatia
Bhatia, an Indian American, is a math teacher in Grand Crossing and an elected Local School Council member at Galileo Scholastic Academy.
- Kina Collins
Collins is challenging incumbent Davis for the third time. In 2022, she was within 6 percentage points of winning in the primary, according to WBEZ. In 2017, Collins formed the Chicago Neighborhood Alliance to empower activists to end gun violence in Chicago. According to her campaign, she co-authored the Illinois Council on Women and Girls Act and served as the inaugural chairwoman of a council that stemmed from that effort. During the 2019 Chicago aldermanic election, Collins helped form a coalition of organizations called Brand New Council, which aimed to elect progressive candidates of color to the city’s council.
- Chad Koppie
Koppie is the sole Republican candidate in the heavily Democratic district.
State
State Representative, 2nd District
2-year terms
- Elizabeth Hernandez
Democratic incumbent Hernandez assumed office on Jan. 11, 2023, and is running for re-election. She has experience working as a senior policy advisor to former Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and founded the Cicero Youth Commission.
- Laura Hruska
Republican candidate Hruska is an officeholder of Riverside-Brookfield Township School District 208, with her term ending in 2027.
State Representative, 8th District
La Shawn K. Ford is running unopposed.
State Representative, 21st District
- Abdelnasser Rashid
Incumbent Rashid took office on Jan. 11, 2023, and is running for re-election. He is the first Palestinian-American to sit in the Illinois House. He has called on President Joe Biden to push for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and is being challenged, in part, because of that stance. He is a co-chairperson of a new state task force on artificial intelligence, and has experience working with Democracy Partners, at Cook County Assessor’s Office and with former Cook County Clerk David Orr.
- Vidal Vasquez
Vasquez is a retired Chicago police officer and has consistently voted in Democratic primaries since 1998.
State Representative, 78th District
Camille Lilly, assistant majority leader, is running unopposed.
Cook County
State’s Attorney
4-year term
- Clayton Harris III
Harris is a public policy professor and former prosecutor, and is the Democratic Party’s pick to replace Kim Foxx.
- Eileen O’Neill Burke
Burke is also running as a Democrat and is leading Harris in fundraising.
- Bob Fioretti
Former Chicago Ald. Fioretti ran for state’s attorney as a Democrat in 2020, but is running unopposed in the Republican primary this time around.
- Andrew Charles Kopinski
Kopinski, an attorney, is running as a Libertarian.
Clerk of the Circuit Court
4-year term
- Iris Martinez
Incumbent Martinez was the first Latina in the state Senate to become assistant majority leader. She won the last election without the Democratic Party’s backing.
- Mariyana Spyropoulos
Spyropoulos, an attorney and former commissioner at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, has received many endorsements, including from the Cook County Democratic Party.
- Lupe Aguirre
Aguirre is running as a Republican despite several unsuccessful campaigns for county offices in the past.
- Michael Murphy
Murphy is running as a Libertarian.
Board of Review Commissioner, 3rd District
4-year term
- Larry Rogers Jr.
Rogers assumed office in 2004 and his current term ends Dec. 2, 2024.
- Larecia Tucker
Commissioner, 1st District
Unexpired 2-year terms
- Tara Stamps
Stamps, a community activist and Chicago Teachers Union member, was selected to take Brandon Johnson’s seat after he was elected mayor in 2023. The district spans the city and the suburbs, including Austin, Oak Park, Forest Park, Maywood and Bellwood. Stamps is a former teacher and now serves as an administrator of new teacher development for the CTU.
- Zerlina A. Smith-Members
Smith-Members, of Austin, is a community activist and victim services coordinator for Together Chicago, a non-profit agency that helps victims of crime and people in need who live in the Garfield Park and Austin communities. Smith-Members also served as the Illinois regional director for Jill Stein in the 2016 presidential campaign.
- James Humay
Humay is running as a Libertarian.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners
6-year terms
- Marcelino Garcia
- Daniel Pogorzelski
- Kari Steele
- Sharon Waller
- Claire Connelly
- Richard Dale
- Brendan Ehlers
- George Blakemore
- Toneal Jackson
Why do these races matter?
Not only is voting a right for most American citizens over 18, but it’s also a civic duty. Why is that?
In local elections, turnout is often lower, according to Campus Election Engagement Project. This means individual votes can make a bigger difference. Understanding the roles of local executive, legislative and legal positions can help influence choices that affect Cook County.
U.S. Representatives, like Davis, introduce bills and resolutions, offer amendments and serve on committees. The U.S. House of Representatives can collectively impeach federal officers and even elect the President if there were an Electoral College tie.
State Representatives, alongside the state senators, form the legislative branch of Illinois. They work with the governor to create laws and establish a budget. State Representatives can pass bills on public policy, affect state spending, raise or lower taxes and override gubernatorial vetoes.
Illinois Supreme Court justices serve on the state’s highest court and hear appeals of lower court cases. The court has authority over all courts in the state.
The Cook County State’s Attorney can seek convictions for many pressing criminal justice issues in the areas, including shootings and murders. Cook County is one of the largest counties in the area, meaning the state’s attorney’s decisions have a big impact on Illinois’ prison population, according to WBEZ.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court oversees case files and documents for the largest court system in Illinois. The clerk attends court sessions and preserves court records.
The Cook County Commissioner 1st District covers the West Side of Chicago and western suburbs. Commissioners make sure citizen concerns are met, requirements are fulfilled on the federal and state level and that operations run smoothly, according to Cook County Government.
Where to vote
Limited early voting began Feb. 21. Traditional early voting begins March 4 in suburban Cook County. This may not be an exhaustive list of polling places; to find your polling place, visit https://ova.elections.il.gov/PollingPlaceLookup.aspx.
** indicates an early voting location.
Brookfield:
- Village of Brookfield, 8820 Brookfield Ave., Brookfield**
- Gross School, 3524 Maple Ave., Brookfield
- Holy Guardian Angels Parish, 1125 Harrison Ave., La Grange Park
- Congress Park School, 9311 Shields Ave., Brookfield
- Lincoln School, 4300 Grove Ave., Brookfield
- La Grange Community Center, 200 Washington Ave., La Grange
Riverside:
- Hauser Junior High School, 65 Woodside Road, Riverside
- Riverside Town Hall, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside
- North Riverside Village Commons, 2401 Des Plaines Avenue, North Riverside
Forest Park:
- Grant-White School, 147 Circle Ave.
- Garfield School, 543 Hannah Ave.
- Howard Mohr Community Center, 7640 Jackson Blvd.
- Park District of Forest Park, 7501 Harrison St.
- Betsy Ross School, 1315 Marengo Ave.
- Field Stevenson School, 925 Beloit Ave.
Oak Park:
- Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison St.**
Village Hall is only open for early voting, not on March 19.
- Hatch Elementary School, 1000 Ridgeland Ave.
- Whittier Elementary School, 715 N. Harvey Ave.
- J L Hedges Administration Center, 218 Madison St.
- Oak Park Public Library – Maze Branch, 845 Gunderson Ave.
- Abrahan Lincoln Elementary School, 1111 S. Grove Ave.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary School, 508 N. Kenilworth Ave.
- St. Giles Religious Education, 1101 Columbian Ave.
- The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, 178 Forest Ave.
- Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St.
- Oak Park and River Forest High School, 201 N. Scoville Ave.
- Washington Irving School, 1125 S. Cuyler Ave.
- William Beye Elementary School, 230 N. Cuyler Ave.
- West Central Church, 1154 Wisconsin Ave.
- Longfellow Elementary School, 715 Highland Ave.
- Oak Park Conservatory, 615 Garfield St.
- Horace Mann Elementary School, 921 N. Kenilworth Ave.
- Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, 325 S. Kenilworth Ave.
- Oak Park Township, 105 S. Oak Park Ave.
- Dole Learning Center, 255 Augusta St.
- Percy Julian Middle School, 416 S. Ridgeland
Austin:
- Sayre Elementary Language Academy, 1850 North Newland Ave.
- Rutherford Sayre Fieldhouse, 6871 West Belden Ave.
- Galewood Community United Church of Christ, 1776 North Narragansett Ave.
- Hamlett-Isom CME Church, 5446 West Division St.
- Sankofa Cultural Arts and Business Center, 5820 West Chicago Ave.
- Heritage International Christian Church, 5312 West North Ave.
Voters can also find their polling location or submit a ballot by mail on the Cook County Clerk’s Office website at https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections/your-voter-information.
Reporters Jessica Mordacq and Trent Brown contributed to this article.
