Karim Lakhani
Karim Lakhani (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Illinois House of Representatives to represent District 12. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.[source]
Lakhani completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2026
See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 12
Paul Kendrick (D), Litcy Kurisinkal (D), Karim Lakhani (D), and Mac LeBuhn (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 12 on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Paul Kendrick  | |
 | Litcy Kurisinkal | |
 | Karim Lakhani | |
 | Mac LeBuhn | |
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| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 12
Justin Kumar (R) is running in the Republican primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 12 on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Justin Kumar | ||
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| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Lakhani received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Lakhani's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Karim Lakhani completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lakhani's responses.
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- Lowering Costs & Building an Economy That Works for Everyone: I grew up helping my parents build a small business from the ground up, and today I help run that business. I know what it takes to balance a budget, meet payroll, and create good jobs. I’m proud to have earned the support of my employees because they’ve seen that a strong economy is built when businesses and workers succeed together. In Springfield, I’ll work to ease pressure on property taxes by growing our tax base, crack down on corporate price-gouging, strengthen small businesses, protect fair wages, and promote a tax system that supports families and small businesses while asking those who benefit most to pay their fair share.
- Safe Communities Through Prevention, Partnership & Accountability: When I walk through our neighborhood with my son, I think about what real safety looks like. It means accountability when harm occurs and means investing in prevention so problems don’t escalate in the first place. In Springfield, I’ll focus on what works: expanding youth jobs, mental health services, school-based supports, and proven violence-intervention programs; cracking down on gun trafficking and repeat violent offenders; strengthening policing through better staffing, training, and transparency; expanding crisis-response options that pair mental health professionals with first responders; and improving street safety through lighting, transit access, and walkable n
- My parents came to this country undocumented seeking safety and dignity, and I grew up knowing how fragile rights and protections can feel. Defending our democracy is personal, and it’s a responsibility we all share. In Springfield, I’ll strengthen state protections for civil and voting rights, push back on Trump's attacks on immigrant families, and use Illinois law to guard against federal overreach. I’ll defend due process, combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, and hate through education, reporting, and enforcement, protect reproductive freedom and LGBTQ+ rights, and strengthen ethics and transparency so voters — not political insiders — drive decision-making.
SEIU Illinois State Council
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
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Illinois House of Representatives District 12 |
Personal |
Footnotes
