This year’s primary elections featured a record number of openly LGBT candidates thorughout Illinois. From those races, several of those individuals are vying for various political offices in November:
Kelly Cassidy
Race: Illinois state representative (14th District)
Website: citizensforcassidy.com
The skinny: Cassidy, who recently wed activist Candice Gingrich, has served her district since 2011. Cassidy, the only openly lesbian member of the General Assembly, defeated Arthur Noah Siegel in the primary and now runs unopposed in the general election.
Marcelino Garcia
Race: Metropolitan Water Reclamation Commissioner
Website: MarcelinoGarcia.com
The skinny: Garcia, an attorney, is director of community affairs for the Cook County health and hospitals system the nation’s third largest public health system. He is also a Partner with Overseas Strategies, LLC, an international business development consulting firm that helps small and medium-sized companies with the logistics of import and export and market development. He finished third in the primary elections in March.
Greg Harris
Race: Illinois state representative (13th District)
Website: GregHarris.org
The skinny: Harris who was chief co-sponsor of SB10, the legislation that brought about marriage equality in Illinois has a district that includes several North Side neighborhoods. Harris (who was first elected to the state House in 2006, and is the first openly gay person in Illinois to become a member of legislative leadership) ran unopposed in the March 20 primary.
Cecilia Horan
Race: Cook Circuit judge (Hartigan Vacancy)
Website: voteforjudgehoran.com
The skinny: The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Horan was appointed a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County on Jan. 19, 2017. She is presently assigned to the First Municipal Division where she hears cases involving alleged breaches of contract, the rights of landlords and tenants, debtors and creditors, and traffic matters. In March, She easily took the seat Cook Circuit judge (Hartigan Vacancy), defeating Keith Spence 78-22 percent.
Mike McHale
Race: Circuit Court of Cook County
The skinny: McHale, who handles cases in the Criminal Division, is running for retention this year. He was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame (now the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame) in 2005. After being elected in 2006, McHale was retained in 2012 for a term that expires this year.
Kevin Morrison
Race: Cook County commissioner (15th District)
Website: KevinBMorrison.com
The skinny: A Democratic resident of Elk Grove Village, Morrisonwho studied environmental sciences at DePaul Universitysqueaked by and is facing Republican incumbent Commissioner Tim Schneider in November. Should Morrison prevail, he would be the first openly LGBTQ Cook County commissioner ever.
Mary Colleen Roberts
Race: Circuit Court of Cook County
The skinny: Roberts is running for retention this year. She is a judge on the Cook County 11th Subcircuit in Illinois. Like Mike McHale, she was elected in 2006 and was retained in 2012. Prior to the bench, Roberts was a hearing officer for the Cook County Circuit Court and assistant corporation counsel for the Chicago Law Department.
Lamont Robinson
Race: Illinois state representative (5th District)
Website: VoteLamontRobinson.com
The skinny: Robinsonwho runs two Chicago Allstate Insurance offices, in Bronzeville and Humboldt Parkwill fill the Illinois House’s 5th District post currently held by state Rep. Juliana Stratton, who is running for lieutenant governor alongside gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker. Robinson is making history as the first openly gay African-American person in the General Assembly.
Debra Shore
Race: Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner
Website: www.debrashore.org/
The skinny: Shore has served on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board since 2006. She is a member of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership and served on the board (and was past chair) of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. She is running for her third six-year term in the 2018 election.
Maggie Trevor
Race: Illinois state representative (54th District)
Website: trevorforstaterep.net/
The skinny: Trevor, who identifies as lesbian, is the only candidate in the Democratic primaryand incumbent Tom Morrison is the sole candidate in the Republican primary. Trevor was born and raised in Rolling Meadows, where her parents were among the city’s original residents.
Sam Yingling
Race: Illinois state representative (62nd District)
Website: SamYingling.com
The skinny: Grayslake resident Yingling ran unopposed in the primary for his fourth term. He is the first openly gay House member from outside metropolitan Chicago. Yingling proposed to longtime partner Lowell Jaffe at the party former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn threw to celebrate the passage of Illinois’ marriage-equality bill in 2013. (They married in 2015.)
Also see printable election guides at windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Windy-City-Times-2018-Election-printable-charts-/64483.html.