Erin Chan Ding of South Barrington and Maria Peterson of North Barrington are competing in the March 17 Democratic primary for their party’s nomination to represent the 52nd District in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Both Peterson and Ding share similar views on issues like affordability, education and property taxes, but they have one major disagreement — who is the best candidate to unseat state Rep. Martin McLaughlin, R-Barrington Hills, in the Nov. 3 general election.
Running for the Illinois State Senate in 2022 against former state Sen. Dan McConchie, R-Hawthorn Woods, Peterson came within 385 votes of ousting the then-GOP minority leader. In 2024, she lost to McLaughlin by 47 votes. She is confident now in what appears to be a Democratic year.
“Over multiple cycles, I’ve built a strong grassroots foundation, deep relationships across the district and a campaign operation that knows how to turn support into votes,” Peterson said. “I also bring real-world experience that translates directly into effective leadership.”
Ding, now in her second term on the Barrington Community Unit School District 220 Board of Education, believes her experience as an elected official balancing budgets and working with colleagues to enact policies benefitting people best positions her for November.
“I know how to build relationships and how to win,” Ding said. “I saved taxpayers $7.5 million during inflation’s height, overseen a $147 million referendum that enhanced 12 local school buildings, and made them safer and maintained (District 220’s) AAA bond rating.”
Erin Chan Ding (Erin Chan Ding campaign)
Democratic voters will decide when they cast their ballots by March 17 in Lake County and beyond whether Peterson or Ding will be the Democrats’ nominee to face McLaughlin, who is unopposed in the GOP primary, in November.
A retired attorney and a small business owner with a corrective exercise studio, Peterson, 63, said she is running again in part because of encouragement from supporters and to give residents of the 52nd District representation by someone who shares the values of a majority of them.
Elected to the District 220 Board of Education in 2021 and again in 2025, Ding, 44, worked as a reporter for the Detroit Free Press for five years before returning to the Chicago area with her husband, where she continues to work as an independent journalist.
While knocking on doors across the district, getting to know voters, Ding said frustration with affordability is a nearly universal concern. Whether it is the cost of groceries, healthcare or property taxes, making ends meet is a worry for many people.
Maria Peterson (Maria Peterson campaign)
“At every door they’re talking about it,” Ding said, “People are being stretched and burdened.”
Affordability is the overwhelming concern Peterson hears from voters as well. Though there are a variety of expenses that worry people, she said, real estate taxes, especially for seniors, are a major concern.
“Many of these people are on fixed incomes, which are not going up as much as their income,” she said. “The cost of health insurance is another concern. They’re being stretched.”
Relief for impacted homeowners could come from property tax relief. Peterson said she would like to see a constitutional amendment allowing voters to cast ballots for a “fair tax” proposal championed by former Gov. Patrick Quinn.
Peterson said the “fair tax” would place a 3% surcharge on all individual income earned greater than $1 million. The funds — an estimated $4.5 billion annually — would be used solely for property tax relief.
Tying property tax relief to funding for education, Ding said she wants to see the state’s evidence-based funding for public schools fully funded, and the bulk of the funds going to school districts in underserved areas.
“That will take some of the burden off property taxpayers,” Ding said.
Both Ding and Peterson are the daughters of immigrants, making the current federal immigration enforcement effort by the administration of President Donald Trump personal for both of them. Peterson’s parents came to the U.S. from Mexico, and Ding’s from Hong Kong.
“People are living in fear,” Ding said. “I hear about it at every door when I talk to people. Human rights are basic to all of us. I will work on legislation that will protect people and be effective.”
“As a first-generation American, this is really personal for me,” Peterson said. “I see innocent people being deported. People are living in fear of ICE.”
Peterson did accuse Ding of improper political behavior by circulating nomination petitions on public school grounds and campaigning there as well.
“This was an error in judgment,” Peterson said. “We’ve had enough of this from people like Trump and (former Illinois House Speaker Mike) Madigan.”
Ding said on two occasions she went to her children’s school as a parent for back-to-school events. She brought nomination petitions and asked people to sign them since she was there as a parent, not as a school board member.
“I should have been more careful and more vigilant,” she said. “And for that, I apologize to my fellow board members and to the community.”
The 52nd District includes all or part of Algonquin, Fox River Grove, South Barrington, Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, Lake Barrington, Tower Lakes, Island Lakes, Wauconda, Volo, Libertyville and Mundelein.
Early voting starts between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday at the Lake County Courthouse & Administration Building in Waukegan and expands to 11 other locations throughout the county on March 2.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/52nd-district-democratic-primary/
