Democrats flipped one Metro East state legislature seat and could get another.
Marsie Geldert-Murphey defeated state Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, for the 56th District in the north Metro East by 5 percentage points on Tuesday. She's one of at least four Democrats to flip Republican-held state Senate seats in Illinois.
Like other Democrats downstate, the civil engineer and first-time state legislature candidate ran on affordability and infrastructure investment.
She said her victory as a political outsider signals a desire for change among residents frustrated with rising gas prices and healthcare costs.
"What I heard from people is that they feel like nobody is listening to them," Geldert-Murphey said. "Everyone is struggling right now with costs and trying to make ends meet. And they want to know that somebody really understands that."
Harriss served one term as state senator in the 56th District. She was on the Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee as well as committees governing energy, veterans affairs and transportation.
"I am incredibly grateful to the people of the 56th District for the opportunity to serve the communities I've called home my entire life," Harriss said. "To my family, friends, and amazing volunteers, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I look forward to finding new ways to serve and make a difference."
114th District
In the 114th House District in St. Clair County, George McClellan Jr. is leading incumbent Kevin Schmidt, R-Millstadt, in a tight race.
With 96% of the vote counted before mail-in ballots, McClellan is ahead by 1.5 percentage points.
Outgoing St. Clair County Clerk Thomas Holbrook said he expects a win for McClellan because mail-in ballots usually lean Democratic.
Laura Kaemmerer, the county's elections supervisor who will take over the county clerkship, said the office expects to finish counting the ballots soon but will not certify official results until December.
"We have 14 days after the election to count all uncounted ballots that came in the mail or provisional ballots," Kaemmerer said.
Schmidt has served two terms as state representative for the 114th District but ran unsuccessfully in the 116th in 2020. During his tenure, he served on several House healthcare committees and sponsored bills that included tax cuts and restrictions on lobbying.
McClellan is a former assistant chief for the East St. Louis Fire Department and a retired nurse. He lists lowering healthcare costs and raising wages as goals.
Neither Schmidt nor McClellan could be reached for comment.
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