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Erin Chan Ding

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Erin Chan Ding
Barrington Community Unit School District 220, At-large
Tenure
2021 - Present
Term ends
2029
Years in position
5

Elections and appointments
Last election
March 17, 2026
Education
High school
Wheaton Academy
Bachelor's
Northwestern University, 2003
Personal
Profession
Journalism
Contact

Erin Chan Ding is an at-large member of the Barrington Community Unit School District 220 school board in Illinois. She assumed office in 2021. Her current term ends in 2029.

Chan Ding (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Illinois House of Representatives to represent District 52. She lost in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.

Chan Ding completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Erin Chan Ding graduated from the Wheaton Academy. She earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 2003. Her career experience includes working in journalism.[1]

Elections

2026

See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for Illinois House of Representatives District 52

Incumbent Martin McLaughlin (R) and Maria Peterson (D) are running in the general election for Illinois House of Representatives District 52 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Martin McLaughlin
Martin McLaughlin (R)
Image of Maria Peterson
Maria Peterson (D)  Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 52

Maria Peterson (D) defeated Erin Chan Ding (D) in the Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 52 on March 17, 2026.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Maria Peterson
Maria Peterson  Candidate Connection
 
64.7
 
7,389
Image of Erin Chan Ding
Erin Chan Ding  Candidate Connection
 
35.3
 
4,034

Total votes: 11,423
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Republican primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 52

Incumbent Martin McLaughlin (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 52 on March 17, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Martin McLaughlin
Martin McLaughlin

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Chan Ding received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

  • Illinois Nurses Association
  • Citizens Action Illinois
  • Liberal Moms of the NW Suburbs (Sway viewpoint group by Melissa Parry)
  • New American Leaders Action Fund

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Erin Chan Ding completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chan Ding's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

I’m Erin Chan Ding, a twice-elected Barrington 220 school board member, 91-time marathoner and working mom running for Illinois State Representative in the 52nd District. I’m running to bring respectful, effective leadership to Springfield and to finally flip this seat from red to blue. I’ll focus on strengthening public education at every level, lowering costs for working families, expanding access to affordable health care, child care, and housing, building a clean energy economy that creates good paying jobs, tax relief and protecting basic rights and dignity.

I’ve brought a collaborative spirit to strengthening our schools and to ensuring that all children feel valued and that people from every background can thrive and feel belonging. I’m committed to bringing that same ethos to Springfield.

As a locally elected official, I've seen how President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement overreach has traumatized our communities and how his economic policies have hurt our most vulnerable families. And as a small-business owner who buys my family's health insurance, I've experienced firsthand how the federal administration's assault on health care has sent premiums soaring. I'm running to stand against these attacks.

As the only Democratic primary candidate who's been elected to public office in our district, I know how to connect, build relationships and win. It’s time to make history together and flip this seat!

  • I will fight to lower costs for working families. Families are struggling with the rising costs of health care, child care and housing. I’ll support practical policies that provide real relief, help parents stay in the workforce, and expand access to affordable housing and health coverage so families can build stable lives. In doing so, I'll support progressive revenue solutions that ask millionaires, billionaires and corporations to pay their fair share while reducing the burden on working families. We need to explore a graduated income tax, close corporate loopholes, strengthen the estate tax and modernize taxes on financial wealth. This is the way to sustainably fund and sustain the critical needs of every Illinoisan.
  • I will protect and invest in strong public schools at every level. As a school board member, I have worked to support students, educators, and inclusive learning environments. I’ve led the fight against MAGA extremism to keep LGBTQ-authored books on our public high school library shelves. I’ve also saved taxpayers $7.5 million during inflation’s height while also overseeing the implementation of free, full-day kindergarten in our district. In Springfield, I will support fully funding public education, which will take relief off property taxes, and I’ll advocate for expanding early childhood education so that young parents don’t have to choose between career and caring for their children.
  • I will defend basic rights and human dignity and bolster a welcoming Illinois. I believe our state should protect due process, uphold reproductive freedom, and ensure LGBTQ-plus individuals and immigrant families feel safe and respected. I will stand up to extremism and work to keep Illinois a place where all families can live, learn and thrive. I’m proud to be the only candidate endorsed by ICIRR Action, the sister organization of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, because they trust me to stand up to Trump’s heinous ICE and CBP overreach. I’ll work toward banning facial concealment for federal immigration enforcement and ensure schools, hospitals, courthouses and daycares remain safe zones for our families.
I’m passionate about public education from early childhood through higher education, affordable health care, accessible child care, and attainable housing. I also care deeply about economic security for working families, protecting civil and human rights, including reproductive freedom and due process, especially for immigrants, as I'm the daughter of two immigrants from Hong Kong.
I'm an advocate for advancing a clean energy economy that supports good-paying union jobs while also protecting our environment. I'm determined to serve as a state representative who engages with everyone, who consistently shows up in Springfield and in our district, and wants belonging not just for some but for all.
The Illinois AFL-CIO, Illinois Education Association, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Teamsters Joint Council 25, Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council, International Union of Operating Engineers Locals 150 and 399, the Illinois Nurses Association, Citizen Action/Illinois, the Ironworkers District Council, Asian American Midwest Progressives, Planned Parenthood, Personal PAC, ICIRR Action, G-PAC, New American Leaders Fund, National Association of Social Workers (Illinois chapter), Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization, the Daily Herald and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, State Sen. Ram Villivalam and State Reps. Theresa Mah, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Rita Mayfield and Janet Yang Rohr.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.


Campaign finance summary

Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 3, 2026


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