Chung fights off GOP challenge to win 91st District Illinois House seat

PEORIA ( 25News Now ) - State Rep. Sharon Chung (D-Bloomington) has been elected to a second, two-year term representing the 91st District in the Illinois House of Representatives. Chung defeated Republican challenger Desi Anderson in a district that includes parts of Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, and McLean Counties.

Anderson owns a small business in Heyworth. In 2022, she waged an unsuccessful challenge to unseat State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria). Chung, a former McLean County Board member, was elected to the House the same year.

The two candidates differed sharply on the SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail in Illinois' criminal court system. Chung supported the change. Anderson wanted it repealed and renegotiated with the Illinois Sheriff's Association, included in talks to craft a new bill.

Chung said she's pro-union, advocates for women's rights, including their choice to have an abortion. She also backs tax credits to encourage private developers to build affordable housing.

Anderson wrote on her campaign's webpage, "In less than two decades of my adult life I have watched our beautiful country be transformed for the worse and put on a trajectory that is unsustainable economically, while our liberties continue to be encroached upon. There is a crisis of leadership at the local and state levels in Illinois, leaders who have not only passively allowed this to happen, but have actively caused harm for our families and businesses."