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Southland leaders hosting ‘Q&A’ for 2026 elections

The event, hosted by the Democrats of Thornton Township and open to the public, marks the earliest glimpse of potential candidates for county, state, and judicial districts representing the Southland.

By Amethyst J. Davis

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Politics

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July 7, 2025

The Democrats of Thornton Township will be hosting a question-and-answer session with state, county, and judicial candidates tonight at 6:30 P.M. at Thornton Township hall at 333 E. 162nd St. in South Holland.

Sen. Napoleon Harris (15th), who serves as the Thornton Township Democratic Committeeman, will moderate the event. It is open for public attendance.

The question-and-answer is described as a way to “listen and learn about the people who will be possibly representing us,” Harris wrote in an Instagram post promoting the event.

It is immediately unclear which specific candidates will be in attendance. However, the event marks a potential glimpse into 2026 elections, with the primary elections eight months away.

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Candidates for various seats, including the Cook County Board of Commissioners, county judicial seats, and the statehouse, will soon begin circulating petitions, seeking signatures to secure their place on the ballot in November 2026.

Judges, specifically, are a key race to watch. While they make up most of the ballot, those elections are often obscure. Some voters skip the section altogether, unclear of who the candidates are.

Author

Amethyst J. Davis

Amethyst J. Davis is responsible for spearheading the growth and development of the HWH, including outlining the editorial trajectory and content. She also produces “The Renaissance Letter,” our biweekly email newsletter, edits content, and fact-checks stories prior to publication. Amethyst was an administrator at New York University before launching her journalism career. She was previously a member of the Sounding Board, the community advisory board for Chicago Public Media, which includes WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Amethyst is a 2023 Leader of a New Chicago award recipient, as recognized by the Field Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. She was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.

In 2022, Amethyst was a Casey Fellow with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Black News & Views. She is a sought after speaker on community journalism and has given talks at institutions like DePaul University and the University of Kansas. Amethyst is a regular guest on City Cast Chicago.

She was invited by Harvard University to submit a 2023 and 2024 Nieman Lab prediction. Under her leadership, the HWH has become one of the nation’s most-watched hyperlocal newsrooms. The HWH has received national coverage in publications like Poynter, Harvard University’s Nieman Lab, the National Press Journalism Club Institute, and Editor & Publisher.

A Harvey native, Amethyst is a Brooks Middle School (’11) and Thornton Township High School alum (‘15) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from NYU (BA’19). She is an alumna of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar program at the University of Chicago.