Incumbent state Sen. Erica Harriss, a Republican, won a narrow victory here in 2022 over her Democratic opponent, and is running unopposed in the Republican primary. Vying to face her in November are Marsia Geldert-Murphey and Kevin Hall, 39.
District 56 is in the Metro East, and covers all or part of Edwardsville, Collinsville and Granite City, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.
That this was such a close race in 2022 signals that voters here are moderate, and Hall seems to have gotten the memo, at least to some extent, telling us he’s all for modernizing and increasing the efficiency of government. If you’re sending someone to Springfield and a legislature facing chronic budget deficits and financial strain, that’s an important hurdle to clear. His campaign also appears laser-focused on bringing down costs for everyday Illinoisans, and as Edwardsville Township supervisor he said he championed local government consolidation, an important issue in a state with the most units of local government in the country.
Geldert-Murphey is a civil engineer who speaks passionately and articulately on the economic pressures residents have described to her. We regret that we were not able to learn more about her candidacy, as she did not respond to our attempts to reach her.
Hall is endorsed.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois primary election here.
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