Facing primary challenge, Carroll won't seek reelection to 57th District House seat
State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, a Democrat from Northbrook, announced Monday he won't seek reelection to a fourth full term in the Illinois House next year.
“This was not an easy decision, but the right one for my family and our future,” Carroll said in a written statement.
Carroll, 49, has represented the 57th House District since October 2017, when he was chosen to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of former Rep. Elaine Nekritz. He was elected in 2018 and won reelection in 2020 and 2022.
His decision not to run in 2024 comes as he faced a potential Democratic primary challenge from fellow Northbrook resident Tracy Katz Muhl. An attorney and the former Northbrook School District 28 board president, Katz Muhl announced her campaign in May and has garnered support from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, U.S. Reps. Brad Schneider and Jan Schakowsky and state Sen. Laura Fine, among others.
It also comes about 3½ weeks after the Illinois-focused political newsletter Capitol Fax reported that the Legislative Inspector General's office's had determined claims Carroll's office had fired a staff member for becoming pregnant were “unsubstantiated.”
Carroll said Katz Muhl entering the race had no impact on his decision.
“No, this is based purely on family, he said. “It had nothing to do with anyone else who will or will not be in the race.”
Carroll expects to remain in the house through January 2025.
In a listing of his accomplishments in the General Assembly, Carroll cited introducing legislation that “ended the horrific use of isolation time out and restraint in schools. He also said he helped create a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases, wrote legislation eliminating puppy mills and worked to address food allergy safety.
“I was instrumental in removing former Speaker Michael Madigan and helping to restore trust with new leadership,” he added.
Carroll for 20 years also has operated a practice called ADHD Coaching, which works with children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“This job sometimes makes it challenging to do both, so I'll probably go back to doing that, and see what other opportunities present themselves,” he said.
The 57th District covers all or parts of Glenview, Northbrook, Northfield, Wilmette, Winnetka, Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Glencoe, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights and Wheeling.