Illinois House District 82 election results

Appointed state Rep. Nicole La Ha, R-Homer Glen, won a full term to her southwest suburban state House seat Tuesday, beating Democratic challenger Suzanne Akhras as the Illinois GOP aims to avoid losing more ground in Springfield.

The Associated Press called the race with about 77% of expected votes counted, and La Ha holding 60% of the vote compared to 40% for Akhras.

“I’m really excited to get back to work for my district, and extremely thankful for their support,” La Ha told the Sun-Times.

Speaking before the AP called the race, Akhras said she still was hopeful the count could turn in her favor. “We ran a very clean campaign,” Akhras said.

La Ha — a former dental hygienist, Homer Glen trustee and Mrs. America crown winner — was appointed last year to replace former House Republican Leader Jim Durkin in the 82nd District that runs from Western Springs southwest to Lemont.

Voters in the district supported former President Donald Trump in his first two White House bids, as well as far-right GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey in 2022.

La Ha raised more than $200,000 to hold onto the seat, with about $90,000 coming from Illinois Republican Party leadership, plus major support from the Fraternal Order of Police and the 613 PAC, a group that supports “the advancement of Orthodox Judaism,” records show.

Akhras, founder of the nonprofit Syrian Community Network, focused on abortion rights and community safety in her campaign, which raised more than $145,000 — but didn’t get help from the state party.

La Ha, who advocates for children with disabilities, called abortion “an important topic,” but said voters in the district are more concerned with bloated government spending and property tax increases. Regarding abortion rights, she told the Sun-Times “there should be options. There are exceptions.”