She Runs Illinois 2024! — Lisa J. Davis, candidate for IL House of Representatives, District 32
She Votes Illinois is pleased to feature Lisa J. Davis, running for Illinois House of Representatives, District 32. Follow our series, She Runs Illinois 2024!, leading up to election day as we showcase and uplift the voices of Illinois women running for public office in the upcoming election, November 5, 2024.
Tell us about yourself.
I was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, in the Chatham neighborhood. I am a wife, mother, and attorney. I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. I received my Juris Doctor from Northern Illinois University College of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of Illinois in 2008. I live in Chicago’s Scottsdale neighborhood, located in the 18th Ward, with my husband and three children, ages 12, 10 and 6. My husband, Anthony, is an Engineer with the Chicago Fire Department and has been with the Chicago Fire Department for 15 years. I am employed as an Assistant Public Defender with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office. I have worked for the Cook County Public Defender’s Office for 14 years. I am a proud member of AFSCME Local 3315. I am also a member of the Windy City Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
What are your top three legislative priorities you intend to focus on in office?
As a mom of three, I know families are struggling to make ends meet. Making it more affordable to raise a family will be my top priority. Other top issues for my district include preventing gun violence, increasing access to healthcare, increasing local jobs, and protecting a woman’s right to choose.
What motivated you to run for office?
I am an attorney, a union member, a mom, and a strong voice for women and working families. As an experienced Cook County Assistant Public Defender and the wife of a Chicago firefighter, I am committed to creating safer communities while making our criminal justice system work for all of us. Our district deserves responsive, committed, and active representation that we are currently not getting.
How will you ensure that Illinois continues to lead in promoting women’s health and reproductive rights, especially in the face of potentially restrictive federal policies on abortion and birth control?
I would fiercely oppose any legislation that infringes on an individual’s rights to privacy, bodily autonomy, and reproductive rights, including abortion. Personally, I am an avid supporter of the rights to privacy, bodily autonomy, and reproductive rights, including abortion. I have had to deal, firsthand, with life-changing women’s health issues concerning my body. I would have been devastated and mentally broken if the decisions concerning my body were taken away from me.
What initiatives are you championing to address the overlapping challenges of racial justice and gender equity in Illinois, particularly focusing on policies that promote fair treatment, opportunities, and outcomes for women of color?
There are several local and state organizations that have done tremendous work in this area, such as the Chicago Foundation for Women. If elected, organizations such as the Chicago Foundation for Women would serve as a valuable resource for me as a legislator.
What measures can Illinois implement to better protect women from intimate partner violence, considering high-profile cases involving the abuse and stalking of Black women like the attack on pregnant Laterria Smith and murder of her son, Jayden Perkins, by her ex-partner; and Dominique Ward’s struggles with her ex-partner’s cyberstalking?
Protecting women and families from intimate partner violence, specifically gun violence, is extremely important to me. I would strongly support and propose legislation geared towards protecting women and families from intimate partner violence, such as in Karina’s Bill, and will push for its passage, if elected.
Closing remarks.
I have spent my career advocating for the constitutional rights, dignity, and humanity of my clients at the Public Defender’s Office. Advocacy, I believe, is my life’s mission. I will advocate for the people of the 32nd District with the same tenacity and determination I display in court, on a daily basis. The people of the 32nd District deserve nothing less than that.
If you would like to learn more about Lisa J. Davis and her platform or volunteer for her campaign, please check out her website at lisajdavisfor32.com. Reach out today and help make a difference in the upcoming 2024 election.
(The information contained in this post is provided only as general information and does not imply an endorsement by She Votes Illinois.)
