Both of the candidates running in the November 8, 2022, general election for Illinois State Senate District 56 — incumbent Kris Tharp (D) and Erica Harriss (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.
Eighty-eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2022. The Democratic Party controls both chambers of Illinois’ state legislature. Illinois is one of 14 states with a Democratic trifecta.
Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?
Tharp:
- “Protecting peoples access to healthcare so that people are not choosing between medical procedures and feeding their families.”
- “Protecting jobs and creating an economy to support the middle class is a priority in the 56th district. We need to bring good-paying manufacturing jobs back to Illinois.”
- “Keeping our communities safe from dangerous criminals. I have been in law enforcement my entire life, and my son is a police officer and my wife is a corrections officer. We need to make sure that our police officers have what they need to keep our communities safe and invest more money in mental health services.”
Harriss:
- “To reduce the overbearing tax burden on Illinois families by supporting legislation to cap and freeze property taxes, by opposing a progressive income tax, and voting against taxing retirement income.”
- “To confront Springfield corruption by supporting comprehensive ethics reform, greater power for the Legislative Inspector General, and term limits for leaders in both chambers.”
- “To support law enforcement and repeal the SAFE-T Act, keeping them and our communities safe.”
Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.
We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.
Additional reading:
Illinois State Senate elections, 2022
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