Worth Township Supervisor Patricia Joan “Trish” Murphy was audibly emotional Wednesday when preliminary results showed her in the lead of five Democratic contenders seeking to replace Commissioner Donna Miller in the 6th District, a seat Murphy’s mother held for more than a decade.
“I’m feeling everything all at once,” Murphy said. “I am so humbled and I just can’t wait to get in there, roll up my sleeves and go to work.”
In the 5th District, appointed Cook County Commissioner Kisha McCaskill declared victory Tuesday, fending off a challenge from Dolton Trustee Kiana Belcher in the Democratic primary.
6th District
Murphy was had 36.7% of the vote according to unofficial results Wednesday, followed by Palestinian-American attorney Wesam Shahed with 32.9% of the vote.
The remaining three candidates — Veronica Bolling-Franklin, Sylvester Fulcher and Antoine Bass — each garnered about 10% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
Miller, who has held the seat since 2018, chose not to seek reelection in favor of running in the crowded 2nd Congressional District race.
The 6th District includes parts or all of Bridgeview, Justice, Hickory Hills, Palos Hills, Chicago Ridge, Alsip, Crestwood, Midlothian, Oak Forest, Tinley Park, Orland Hills, Matteson, Richton Park, Park Forest, Steger, Sauk Village, Lynwood, South Holland, South Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Homewood and East Hazel Crest.
Murphy’s mother, Joan Patricia Murphy, held the 6th District seat from 2002 until 2016, when she died in office. Murphy ran for the position in 2018, but lost to Miller.
“Looking back at that now, you never know what the universe has in store for you,” Murphy said. “I would’ve done a fine job, but I would’ve missed out on those eight years of experience and relationship building, and experiences that I’ve had since then.”
Murphy is also the Democratic committeeperson for Worth Township and serves on the Moraine Valley Community College board.
“I’m so grateful that this is the time,” Murphy said. “I felt like this was really my time.”
Murphy said that if elected to a full term, one of her priorities would be ensuring continued health care access for those who rely on CountyCare, Cook County’s Medicaid plan.
“I personally am just guessing that we might see more people that are going to want to be on CountyCare, or have to be on CountyCare, because insurance rates are going up and these cuts are coming,” Murphy said.
She also said she wanted to work with other entities, such as the Cook County assessor’s office, to support property tax reform.
Shahed, a Bridgeview resident, has worked for both the Cook County state’s attorney and the Illinois attorney general’s offices. His campaign did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
No candidates filed for the Republican primary in the 6th District, though the party could still appoint a nominee for the November general election.
5th District
“I am exhausted, but I am elated and ready to get started,” McCaskill said Wednesday. “You know, it’s back to work already.”
With 90% of precincts reported Tuesday, McCaskill had 52.7% of the vote, while Belcher had 47.3 %, according to unofficial results.
“I’m grateful, honored and blessed to receive such an outpouring of votes from the residents of the 5th District,” McCaskill said in a statement. “I don’t take this overwhelming sign of support for granted. It is an honor to serve the people of this district and I am committed to the upward mobility of this region.”
The 5th District seat was previously held by Monica Gordon, who was elected in 2022. It represents parts of the South Side and portions of Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Lake, Rich, Thornton and Worth townships.
Gordon resigned in 2024 after being elected as Cook County clerk in a special election, and McCaskill was appointed to fill her seat in January 2025.
McCaskill has been executive director of the Harvey Park District since 2015.
Belcher was elected a Dolton trustee in 2021. She was reelected in 2025 as part of now-Mayor Jason House’s Clean House slate in opposition to former Mayor Tiffany Henyard.
Belcher congratulated McCaskill on her victory in a statement Wednesday.
“Now, as a community, we must come together and support the work ahead to rebuild, strengthen, and grow the 5th District,” Belcher said in her statement. “Our residents deserve unity, progress, and leadership that keeps the needs of the people first.”
McCaskill said her decision to run was prompted by her experience as a lifelong Harvey resident witnessing the lack of investment and care given to her community.
When looking forward to a potential full term, McCaskill said she wanted to reopen discussion about bringing a Level I or 2 trauma center to the south suburbs, which she also named as a goal when she was first appointed to the position.
“We need that,” McCaskill said. “With the cuts to (the Affordable Care Act) and the threats to health care, and our ability to just have medical treatment in some situations, that is definitely a discussion I would like to see reopened and reconsidered.”
McCaskill said Wednesday that she wanted to urge representatives from the South Side and south suburbs to sign onto bills introduced in the state legislature to address the issue of property taxes, such as Senate Bill 2779, which would instruct the Department of Revenue to study the feasibility of phasing out property taxes as a funding source for school districts.
McCaskill will face Republican Richard Nolan in November. He ran uncontested in his primary.
elewis@chicagotribune.com
