La Ha Defeats Akhras In Burr Ridge Area House Race
BURR RIDGE, IL – State Rep. Nicole La, a Homer Glen Republican, defeated her Democratic opponent in a landslide Tuesday, according to unofficial returns.
Appointed last December, La Ha received 60 percent of the vote to Democrat Suzanne Akhras' 40 percent.
The 82nd House district includes Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, Darien, Western Springs, Lemont and Orland Park, among other towns.
Donations from Republican Party groups powered La Ha's campaign, which won the fundraising race. Akhras' contributions were mostly from individuals. Major Democratic organizations did not give to Akhras' campaign , signaling they expected a loss.
In late September, the House Republican Organization hinted in a news release that Akhras, a Muslim, appeared fine with terrorism .
This was after Akhras' campaign said it received multiple reports that a survey was being circulated telling residents she belonged to Islamic terrorist groups.
"It's racist, Islamophobic and xenophobic," Akhras said in an interview at the time. "You're seeing these types of attacks on the national level."
In mid-October, nine town leaders in the 82nd District endorsed La Ha. They were village presidents Tom Cauley of Hinsdale and Melissa Neddermeyer of Willow Springs and mayors Gary Grasso of Burr Ridge, Joseph Marchese of Darien, Frank Trilla of Willowbrook, Krzysztof Wasowicz of Justice, Keith Pekau of Orland Park, Christina Neitzke-Troike of Homer Glen and John Egofske of Lemont.
Days before last Christmas, area Republican leaders picked La Ha to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Egofske, Lemont's mayor, who resigned after 10 months on the job.
Egofske himself was appointed after Republican Jim Durkin of Western Springs resigned following the November 2022 election. He was the House's GOP leader.
La Ha is a former Homer Glen trustee, the 2022 Mrs. America and the former press secretary for the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus. She has Egofske's endorsement.
