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Lakesia Collins
Member of the Illinois Senate
from the 5th district
Assumed office
August 16, 2023
Preceded byPatricia Van Pelt
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 9th district
In office
July 24, 2020 – August 16, 2023
Preceded byArt Turner
Succeeded byYolonda Morris
Personal details
BornChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic

Lakesia Collins is an American union organizer and politician serving as a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate for the 5th district, located on the West Side of Chicago. She previously served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 9th district from 2020 to 2023.[1][2] Collins won the Democratic primary election for the 5th district in the House in 2020, and was appointed to the seat shortly afterwards to replace retiring incumbent Art Turner.[1][3][4] She won election to full terms in 2020 and 2022,[5] and served as the Treasurer for the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.[6] On August 16, 2023, she was appointed to the 5th district seat in the Senate to replace retiring incumbent Patricia Van Pelt.[7]

Early life and career[edit]

Collins attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois and received her Certified Nursing Assistant certificate from the Samland Institute in Chicago.[8] She worked as a nurse in nursing homes, and later became an organizer in her union, SEIU Healthcare Illinois.[1][8] During her tenure as a union organizer, she advocated for legislation on nursing home reform, the proposed Illinois Fair Tax, and a higher minimum wage.[8]

Illinois House of Representatives (2019–23)[edit]

In October 2019, she began her campaign for the Illinois House of Representatives' 9th district in the 2020 election.[9] Incumbent State Rep. Art Turner had decided not to run for re-election after holding the seat since 2011 (Turner's father, Arthur Turner, had previously held the seat for more than 30 years).[10] Collins faced six other candidates in the Democratic primary election, including Aaron Turner, brother of the incumbent representative.[1][11] She was supported by several labor unions including SEIU Healthcare Illinois and the Chicago Teachers Union and progressive organizations such as United Working Families, and received endorsements from the Chicago Sun-Times local elected officials such as Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Jeanette Taylor, and Brandon Johnson.[10][11][9] On March 17, 2020, she won the primary election with 45.9% of the vote.[12] On July 24, 2020, after the resignation of Turner, she was appointed to serve out the remainder of his term.[2] She ran unopposed in the general election on November 3, 2020, and won a full term that began in January 2021.[12][5] She is the first woman to represent the 9th district.[1]

As of July 3, 2022, Representative Collins is a member of the following Illinois House committees:[13]

  • Appropriations - Public Safety Committee (HAPP)
  • Child Care Accessibility & Early Childhood Education Committee (HCEC)
  • Housing Committee (SHOU)
  • Human Services Committee (HHSV)
  • Labor & Commerce Committee (HLBR)
  • Public Benefits Subcommittee (HHSV-PUBX)
  • Workforce Development Subcommittee (HLBR-WORK)

Personal life[edit]

Collins is a single mother of three children.[14]

Electoral history[edit]

Illinois 9th Representative District Democratic Primary, 2020[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lakesia Collins 8,040 46.18
Democratic Aaron Turner 2,603 14.95
Democratic Trina Mangrum 1,850 10.63
Democratic Tyjuan "Ty" Cratic 1,557 8.94
Democratic Nicole L. 'Nikki' Harvey 1,494 8.58
Democratic Sandra Schneller 1,161 6.67
Democratic Maurice Edwards 704 4.04
Total votes 17,409 100.0
Illinois 9th Representative District General Election, 2020[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lakesia Collins (incumbent) 38,252 100.0
Total votes 38,252 100.0
Illinois 9th Representative District General Election, 2022[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lakesia Collins (incumbent) 20,413 100.0
Total votes 20,413 100.0

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Sabino, Pascal (2020-03-23). "Union Organizer Lakesia Collins Wins State Rep Race After Building Grassroots Support On The West Side". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  2. ^ a b Miller, Rich (July 24, 2020). "Lakesia Collins appointed to former Rep. Art Turner's seat". Capitol Fax. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "Illinois Election Results 2020". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
  4. ^ Bachtell, John (2020-03-20). "Marie Newman rides winds of change to victory in Illinois". People's World. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
  5. ^ a b Chicago Board of Elections. "General Election — November 3, 2020 — Summary Report - Unofficial Results" (PDF). Chicago Board of Elections. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  6. ^ Kapos, Shia (2020-12-11). "BLACK CAUCUS' NEW LEADERSHIP — LaHOOD, BOST SPIN IN A TEXAS TORNADO — CALLING THE NATIONAL GUARD". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  7. ^ Kapos, Shia (2023-08-16). "Dems' thrill of victory, agony of defeat". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  8. ^ a b c CST Editorial Board (2020-01-22). "Meet Lakesia Collins, Illinois House 9th District Democratic primary candidate". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  9. ^ a b Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. "Friends of Lakesia". Illinois Sunshine. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  10. ^ a b Munks, Jamie; Petrella, Dan (2020-03-09). "General Assembly departures make way for competitive primaries in Chicago, the suburbs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  11. ^ a b CST Editorial Board (2020-02-24). "ENDORSEMENT: Lakesia Collins for Illinois House in 9th District Democratic Primary". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  12. ^ a b "Lakesia Collins". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  13. ^ "Illinois General Assembly - Representative Committees". ilga.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  14. ^ "About Lakesia". Lakesia Collins for State Representative. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  15. ^ "Election Results 2020 GENERAL PRIMARY". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  16. ^ "Election Results 2020 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. December 4, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  17. ^ "Election Results 2022 GENERAL ELECTION". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakesia_Collins