Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Illinois State Senate District 56 candidate surveys, 2022
This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Illinois State Senate District 56 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
- Click here to see candidates and election results.
- Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Illinois State Senate District 56
Erica Harriss defeated incumbent Kris Tharp in the general election for Illinois State Senate District 56 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Erica Harriss (R)  | 51.1 | 37,459 |
 | Kris Tharp (D) | 48.9 | 35,843 | |
| Total votes: 73,302 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
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.
| Collapse all
Erica Harriss (R)
To confront Springfield corruption by supporting comprehensive ethics reform, greater power for the Legislative Inspector General, and term limits for leaders in both chambers.
To support law enforcement and repeal the SAFE-T Act, keeping them and our communities safe.
Kris Tharp (D)
Protecting jobs and creating an economy to support the middle class is a priority in the 56th district. We need to bring good-paying manufacturing jobs back to Illinois.
Keeping our communities safe from dangerous criminals. I have been in law enforcement my entire life, and my son is a police officer and my wife is a corrections officer. We need to make sure that our police officers have what they need to keep our communities safe and invest more money in mental health services.
Erica Harriss (R)
With one of the highest tax burdens, lowest credit ratings and corruption that regularly makes the national news, Illinois’ problems can seem overwhelming. The status quo has gone on for so long under single party rule that they have made us believe that there are no solutions.
I am tired of the excuses. As Illinoisans there is nothing we cannot overcome if we work together. I know it is possible to lower taxes and create more economic opportunity because I have done it on the Madison County Board helping to lead a successful initiative to reduce property taxes in Madison County.
As a small business owner, I understand and have dealt personally with many of the government hurdles that hold entrepreneurs in Illinois back.
I am running to be a voice for our small business owners and the Illinois workforce because I know we can improve our business climate by cutting wasteful spending, balancing budgets, reducing taxes and regulations, creating new jobs, and reducing regulations.
Kris Tharp (D)
See also
More about these elections:
Select a district below to read responses from candidates in those races:
