Gabby Shanahan, Jessica Dixon Heitman square off in suburban statehouse race spurred by scandal

Summary

A far southwest suburban legislative race could provide an indicator of just how much Springfield’s latest sexual harassment scandal is impacting Democrats who hold supermajorities in the Illinois General Assembly — and whether Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has become a political liability for the party. The race for the 97th District House seat would’ve been hotly contested even if disgraced ex-state Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, hadn’t been forced out amid allegations of misconduct over the summer. But the battle in a rare purple district on Illinois’ grossly gerrymandered political map…

Description from Chicago Sun-Times.