Candidates spar over which Democrat should represent the 52nd District
The two Democratic hopefuls in the primary for the 52nd state House seat shared similar views during a weekend League of Women Voters candidate forum at the Barrington Area Public Library.
Where they disagreed was on which of them is best equipped to turn the district blue in the general election against Republican incumbent Martin McLaughlin of Barrington Hills.
Peterson points to her narrow loss to McLaughlin in 2024 — she lost by 47 votes. She also pointed out she came within 661 votes when running for the Lake County board in 2018. She also lost by 385 votes to Republican Dan McConchie in the race for Senate district 26.
“It is my three races that have proven that I do the work,” she said. “I have built the relationships, and I have turned this district from a double-digit red district to purple.”
Chan Ding countered, “I believe that the district should have flipped then (in November 2024). There's going to be even more chance for us to flip it now. We just need the right Democrat to do it.”
Chan Ding said she is the one to do it, since she is the only Democrat in the 52nd district who has been elected to public office, having won two elections for school board in Barrington Area Unit District 220.
Chan Ding listed the accomplishments of the school board during her five-year tenure — implementing full-day kindergarten, voting to keep LGBTQ-authored books on the shelves and saving taxpayers $7.5 million at inflation’s height.
However, Peterson can also point to public service experience — she serves as vice chair of the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals, which regulates such land uses as solar farms. She noted the county has strict rules requiring solar farms to return the property to farmland when they close down. Also, as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor, she litigated workplace safety and health violations.
During the forum, both candidates showed they hold similar views on many issues.
Neither candidate supports Illinois participating in a federal education tax credit program that provides credits for donations to scholarship-granting organizations.
On health care, both called for getting tougher on insurance companies, with Peterson citing the need to lean on companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Chan Ding advocating for giving the Illinois Department of Insurance the power to cap unjustified rate hikes.
Both support election reform measures. Chan Ding spoke in favor of independent, non-partisan redistricting commissions, while Peterson said ranked choice voting has worked in states like New York.
The winner of the March 17 primary will face McLaughin in the November general election.
The 52nd District includes all or parts of Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, Lake Barrington, South Barrington, Fox River Grove, Inverness, Wauconda, Libertyville and Mundelein.