LGBTQ+ candidates running for office in the 2022 primary contests throughout Illinois got mixed results, according to results as of June 29.
In the 13th District, state Rep. and House Majority Leader Greg Harris is stepping down. The one openly LGBTQ+ candidate in that primary contest, Fernando "Sergio" Mojica, came in third with 8.8% of votes. Hoan Huynh won that primary race with 44.9% of votes, followed by Eileen Dordek, who had 36.4%. Huynh will be unopposed in November.
Longtime LGBTQ+ state Reps. Kelly Cassidy (D-14th), Lamont Robinson (D-5th) and Mike Simmons (D-7th) were among candidates running unopposed in their primaries this election cycle. State Rep. Sam Yingling (D-62nd) lost his bid to represent the 31st District of the State Senate to opponent Mary Edly-Allen, who was backed by Gov. JB Pritzker, among others.
Longtime activists Precious Brady-Davis and Rick Garcia, both in the running to be commissioners on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, were not among the top recipients of votes in their race. Brady-Davis received about 10.5% of votes and Garcia received 6.7%. Mariyana Spyropoulos, Patricia Flynn and Yuma Brown received the most votes in that contest. Longtime Commissioner Debra Shore, who is lesbian, left her MWRD post to be part of the EPA.
Two openly LGBTQ+ primary candidates for Cook County Board Commissioner posts, Anthony Joel Quezada (8th District) and Maggie Trevor (9th District), both won their primary night Democratic contests with 33.64% and 38.05% of the votes, respectively. Openly gay Commissioner Kevin Morrison (15th District) ran unopposed in this primary, and will face Republican Chuck Cerniglia this November. Jaylin D. McClinton lost his bid to represent the Cook County Board's 5th District; he would have been the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color on the board.
Among judicial candidates, attorney Deidre Baumann narrowly lost to opponent Michael Weaver for the Lynch vacancy in the Cook County Circuit Court. Both Baumann and Weaver are members of the LGBTQ+ community. On his fourth try, Brad Trowbridge won in the contest for judicial post in the Cook County 8th Subcircuit (Gordon vacancy).
Gay Cook County Circuit Court Judge John Ehrlich lost his bid for the Illinois Appellate Court to Raymond Mitchell. Had he been elected, Ehrlich would have been the first out member of the LGBTQ+ community elected to an Illinois court of appeal.
In Lake County, Grayslake resident Anthony Vega, currently chief of staff of the Lake County sheriff's office, won unopposed in the primary contest for Lake County Clerk.
Meteorologist Eric Sorensen won the primary race to eventually fill the 17th District seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos. Sorensen, a Moline resident, has pledged that, if elected, he will make climate change a key issue on behalf of constituents.
Meanwhile, lesbian candidate Karla Bailey-Smith lost her bid to be eventual state representative for the newly-drawn 91st District. Bailey-Smith lost the primary to opponent Sharon Chung.