Chung defeats Anderson, wins reelection in 91st House District
BLOOMINGTON — State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, has won a second term representing the 91st House District race in Springfield, defeating Republican challenger Desi Anderson.
Chung in January will rejoin a Democratic supermajority that is expected to hold despite significant underperformance at the top of the ticket by Vice President Kamala Harris, who leads in the typically safe blue state by just 8 percentage points against former President Donald Trump.
With 71% of precincts reporting, Chung had a 50.1% to 49.9% lead over Anderson, a margin of just 69 votes, per data from the Associated Press.
However, the newsgathering organization had yet to add tallies from Bloomington. According to results from the city's election authority, Chung received 9,763 votes to 6,285 for Anderson. This would give Chung a more than 3,500-vote lead, thus securing her reelection.
In an interview with The Pantagraph Wednesday morning, Chung said she "feels great" about where the race landed.
"It's clear that we won by a bigger margin than last time," Chung said. "So, that's great. I think it's just the advantage that incumbency has. People knew I was — I've been very present in the community not just campaigning, but just being in the community, showing up to things, events, making all those connections."
"I'm happy that the voters my constituency were able to recognize that and vote for me so that I can go back for a second term," she said.
The AP has not yet called the race, but Anderson conceded Wednesday morning, writing in a social media post that the election "didn't turn out as we hoped."
"I'm deeply grateful to my family and all of the volunteers, supporters, and community members who dedicated their time and energy to supporting our shared vision of how we could improve our state," Anderson said. "It is my hope that movement will continue until we see better leadership for Central Illinois families at our Capitol."
The 91st District includes parts of McLean, Woodford, Tazewell and Peoria counties, stretching from Bloomington-Normal to Bartonville, just south of Peoria. Chung's margin of victory came entirely from McLean County as Anderson won the district's other three counties.
It was drawn by Springfield Democrats during the redistricting process in 2021 with the intention of making the party competitive. It worked. Chung defeated Normal Town Councilman Scott Preston in 2022 by just over 1,600 votes to become the first Democrat to represent the Twin Cities in Springfield in 40 years.
But this time around, Chung was a top target for Republicans, who turned to Anderson, a small business owner from Carlock with an inspiring personal story, to try to win back the seat. Abandoned as a baby, Anderson grew up in a Bulgarian orphanage until she was adopted by an American family at age 7.
Anderson, who owns The Hesed House wedding venue in Heyworth with her husband, previously unsuccessfully challenged state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, in 2022.
But Chung's significant fundraising advantage allowed her to communicate her message to voters at a higher rate than Anderson. She also was a disciplined campaigner, estimating that she knocked on more than 6,000 doors personally while her campaign volunteers knocked on more than 30,000.
During her first term, Chung sponsored legislation, signed by Gov. JB Pritzker, that will require businesses that sell and distribute batteries to develop a recycling stewardship program by 2026.
She also spearheaded the effort to raise the Illinois estate tax threshold for family farms from $4 million to $6 million. It did not pass during the last legislative session but is expected to be considered again next year.
Chung told The Pantagraph in June said she did "more navigating and steering" this past year as she found her footing as a legislator.
Anderson focused her campaign on issues facing small businesses, crime and immigration. She vowed to support the repeal of the SAFE-T Act, which among other things ended cash bail in Illinois. She also highlighted her opposition to state spending to deal with the migrant crisis.
Chung and Anderson both said they would focus on bringing down the cost of living, a top issue for voters in the Central Illinois district, while Chung also emphasized her support for abortion rights.
The incumbent also touted her started-but-not-finished efforts to aid farm families through estate tax reform, and her status as a member of the Democratic supermajority, which she said helped deliver more resources back to the district.
Despite a lackluster night for Democrats across the country, the party is poised to maintain its supermajorities in the state legislature.
While votes are still being counted, it appears the change in seats between the parties would be small if at all.
Contact Brenden Moore at . :
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