“Here in Cook County, there’s a philosophy that if you haven’t been sent for, there’s not a seat for you at the table, and I’m here to tell you I’m bringing the chair with me,” said Precious Brady-Davis.

“Yes, representation matters, but is representation always safe?”

“If they’re willing to have conversations with me in good faith, I’m happy to try to move the needle with them, but if they want to fight, I’ll tee up for that as well. Because I will fight them with everything I have in me.”

“I’m tired of white old men making decisions for me, a queer Cuban-American in Miami,” Janelle Perez told LGBTQ Nation.

Balint’s grandfather was killed in the Holocaust. For her, “issues around authoritarianism and fascism, they’re not abstract.”

For trans candidate Zooey Zephyr, all human rights – from LGBTQ rights to reproductive rights to voting rights – remain at the center of her fight.

“I am striving to pour as much love, strength and support as I can into the next generation.”

“I looked back at the life I’ve had, the advocacy work I’ve done, my life experiences…[and I realized] this aligns.”

Obergefell learned many lessons from his years of activism and Supreme Court case that he believes will serve him well at the statehouse.

Ashanti Martinez was born and raised in his district, and he maintains a deep love for the community he has always called home.