Patricia Joan Murphy
Patricia Joan Murphy (Democratic Party) (also known as Trish) is running for election to the Cook County Board of Commissioners to represent District 6 in Illinois. Murphy is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. Murphy advanced from the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (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 Cook County Board of Commissioners District 6
Patricia Joan Murphy (D) is running in the general election for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 6 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Patricia Joan Murphy (D) | ||
| ||||
 = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 6
Patricia Joan Murphy (D) defeated Wesam Shahed (D), Veronica Bolling-Franklin (D), Sylvester Fulcher (D), and Antoine Bass (D) in the Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 6 on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Patricia Joan Murphy | 36.7 | 12,801 | |
| Wesam Shahed | 33.1 | 11,547 | ||
 | Veronica Bolling-Franklin | 11.7 | 4,096 | |
| Sylvester Fulcher | 9.6 | 3,339 | ||
| Antoine Bass | 8.9 | 3,093 | ||
| Total votes: 34,876 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Felesa Melvin (D)
Republican primary
The Republican primary scheduled for March 17, 2026, was canceled.
Endorsements
Murphy received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Chicago Federation of Labor
- Cook County College Teachers Union
- International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 150
- International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 399
- United Association of Plumbers Local 130
- A City That Works
- Personal PAC
- The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board
2018
General election
General election for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 6
Donna Miller won election in the general election for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 6 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Donna Miller (D) | 100.0 | 82,556 |
| Total votes: 82,556 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 6
Donna Miller defeated Patricia Joan Murphy and Louis Presta in the Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 6 on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Donna Miller | 43.4 | 17,907 |
| Patricia Joan Murphy | 40.6 | 16,762 | ||
| Louis Presta | 16.0 | 6,611 | ||
| Total votes: 41,280 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Patricia Joan Murphy has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Patricia Joan Murphy asking them to fill out the survey. If you are Patricia Joan Murphy, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?
Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for. More than 26,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.
You can ask Patricia Joan Murphy to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@patriciajoanmurphy.org.
Campaign website
Murphy's campaign website stated the following:
AFFORDABILITY
Affordability starts with real and immediate Property Tax Reform. Trish has been on the front lines of property tax reform while working in the Worth Township Assessor’s Office during appeals, and has witnessed grown men sink to their knees in despair, not knowing how they were going to keep their homes. Everyone knows that the South Suburbs are affected more negatively than any other area in Cook County, where the most underserved communities have the highest percentage rates, and the further south you go, the worse it gets.
Quick solutions include correcting property tax rolls to ensure assessments are equitable and fair; ensuring the department is adequately staffed, including trained and certified field inspectors; and working with the Board of Review to get properties back on the tax rolls that were omitted or significantly underassessed.
Mid- to long-term solutions must include economic development. We quite literally have to dig ourselves out of this problem with shovels in the ground.
The Cook County Board, through its Bureau of Economic Development, has several tools and tax incentive programs to attract and support businesses. As diverse as the 6th District is, each area offers unique opportunities for development. Trish will help pair municipalities with opportunities, tools, and incentives such as Community Development Block Grants, programs through the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, New Markets Tax Credits, Opportunity Zones, and the Catalyst Grant through Cook County Small Business Source, though changes are needed in that program’s requirements.
The 6th District also needs major investment in infrastructure. Southland streets and bridges carry heavy industrial traffic and cannot sustain daily truck use without damage. We must invest now to prepare for future development.
We also need to update grant requirements so smaller businesses can participate. The current working capital threshold, such as requiring $500,000 on hand to qualify for a $100,000 Catalyst Grant, excludes many small and nonprofit businesses.
To truly grow the tax base, we need all sizes of industry in the 6th District so homeowners are not carrying the burden alone. Attracting and supporting economic development will create good union jobs, expand opportunities for our future workforce, and make it easier for people to stay in their communities, buy homes, raise families, and help their neighborhoods thrive—all while making Cook County more affordable.
ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
We all want a Trauma One Hospital in the far South Suburbs, and Trish will work toward that goal. At the same time, we must address the immediate threats coming from Washington.
Currently, 2.5 million residents rely on Cook County Care. If the federal government cuts Medicaid and Medicare while insurance rates continue to rise, that number will only increase. We need to move quickly with attainable solutions to ensure residents have access to healthcare.\
Without access to care, people are forced into emergency rooms, overburdening an already strained system. To protect residents who rely on a healthcare safety net, Trish proposes expanding Cook County Health’s community-based approach by investing in mobile clinics, telehealth access, and culturally competent care.
Cook County should partner with townships to open local Cook County Health Hubs. By centralizing services through the 211 dispatch system, residents could be directed to nearby care and have transportation coordinated with municipalities and townships. These systems can also connect residents to wrap-around services for homelessness, re-entry support, food insecurity, legal assistance, and mental health needs.
Trish is part of a Community Partnership organization with over one hundred member organizations, schools, businesses, and local leaders who already connect residents with resources. As Cook County Commissioner, she will work to expand this model across the 6th District to strengthen that pipeline.
We should also explore creating Health Districts in partnership with Cook County Health, similar to the model used successfully in Stickney Township. Trish has spoken with Township Supervisors in the 5th and 6th Districts who are interested in this approach.
If residents can access care at a Cook County Health Hub for less than the cost of a co-pay, everyone benefits. Localized care is far more cost-effective than overcrowded emergency rooms and keeps healthcare dollars in Cook County, ensuring that every resident—regardless of zip code—has affordable, high-quality care within reach.
SAFE COMMUNITIES
Public safety and criminal justice are neither about locking people up and throwing away the key nor about letting dangerous criminals walk the streets.
Trish supports reducing crime through preventative measures by investing in rehabilitation, mental health care, youth opportunities, job training, and re-entry programs, including the work we have done through the organization Sacred Transformations. She has met many faith leaders who would be strong partners in these efforts, helping to build safer communities from the inside out.
At the same time, we must support the dedicated law enforcement officers who serve our communities and address the root causes that can lead officers astray. Law enforcement must have the resources they need to keep communities safe.
We need a coordinated public safety strategy that brings together local police, the Sheriff’s Office, the courts, and county services to address crime that crosses municipal lines. By working together, we can strengthen neighborhoods and make our streets safer for everyone.
— Patricia Joan Murphy's campaign website (March 5, 2026)
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
 |
State of Illinois Springfield (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2026 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
