What Would You Ask Election Candidates?

The March primary elections are coming, and Patch editors want know:

What would you ask the candidates running for office?

Patch wants to cut through the rhetoric and get to the heart of the issues you care about. And, we think you know those issues.

What You Can Do

Leave a question in the comments below for the candidates. Be sure to mention if the question is for a specific candidate.

How To Find My District

One tool out there for learning where your home resides in the new districts can be found on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

On the GIS map, zoom into your area, click on the red flag and then click as close to your house as possible. The interactive map will tell your congressional, state house and state senate districts.

(Note: Mac and some PC users may need to install Microsoft Silverlight to see the map)

Also, the Cook County Clerk's website has map resources to help you find your new district.

Precinct, nearby polling locations and even directions to the polls can be found on this page.

The clerk's office also has downloadable maps of the new districts for congressional, state senate and state house. 

Who's Running (so far, in contested races)

1st CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

-Democrats:

• Rep. Bobby Rush (incumbent), Chicago
• Jordan Sims, Chicago
• Clifford Russell Jr., Chicago
• Fred Smith, Evergreen Park
• Harold Bailey, Chicago
• Ray Lodato, Chicago

-Republicans

• Don Peloquin, Blue Island
• Jimmy Lee Tillman, Chicago
• Frederick Collins, Chicago

3rd CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

-Republicans:

• Arthur Jones, Lyons
• Richard L. Grabowski, Hometown
• Jim Falvey, Western Springs

-Democrats:

• Dan Lipinski (incumbent)

• Farah Baqai, Chicago

ILLINOIS HOUSE DISTRICTS

DISTRICT 35

-Republican:

• Steve Williams, Orland Park

-Democrats:

• Anthony R. Martin, Chicago
• Joseph Bird, Chicago
• Frances Ann Hurley, Chicago
• Andrew Byrne Hodorowicz, Palos Heights

DISTRICT 28

-Democrats:

• Robert Rita, Blue Island (incumbent)
• Michael E. Mayden, Chicago
• James J. Taylor, Chicago
• Patricia Hanson, Chicago

DISTRICT 27

-Democrats

• Preston Brown Jr., Chicago
• Monique D. Davis, Chicago

ILLINOIS SENATE DISTRICTS

DISTRICT 18

-Democrats:

• Bill Cunningham, Chicago (Incumbent)

-Republicans:

• Barbara Ruth Bellar, Burr Ridge
• Ricardo A. Fernandez, Orland Park

DISTRICT 19

-Democrats

• Michael Hastings, Orland Hills
• Gregory Hannon, Tinley Park

Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, Jan. 11, 2012