Metro East Sun

After former state Sen. Rachelle Aud Crowe withdrew from race for the Illinois Senate in the 56th District, Glen Carbon resident Erica Harriss appears to be the only candidate left on the ballot.

Harriss is a small businesswoman and a graduate of Edwardsville High School. She received her undergraduate degree in speech communication/public relations from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. 

“Erica is an entrepreneur and small business owner, founding her company, which she continues to manage from her home office, in 2014. Since then, her business has been blessed with consistent growth and recognition in its industry. Prior to this she worked professionally in marketing and human resources for Ozzie Smith, and staffed newsrooms at KSDK-TV in St. Louis, and WLBT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi. From 1999 until 2004, Erica served as the director of communications for the National Children’s Cancer Society (NCCS),” Harriss’s candidate profile reads. 

She is not new to serving the community.

“Since 2016, Harriss has represented the 26th District (encompassing Glen Carbon and outlying areas) on the Madison County Board. While on the board, she has served as the chairperson of the Personnel Committee and is also a member of the Finance, Government Operations and Grants committees. Her guiding principle as an elected official has always been to put the taxpayer, the parent and the resident first. She has worked diligently to promote fiscal responsibility by county government, while maintaining high-quality services, infrastructure and government accountability,” according to the profile.

Harriss recently said she is looking for solutions to lower the tax burden on average Illinoisans. 

“One lesson I have learned on the Madison County Board is that legislating requires standing up for what is right, confronting bad ideas directly and working closely with people you may disagree with, regardless of party, to move the ball in the right direction,” Harriss told the Madison - St. Clair Record. “When was the last time Springfield worked like that?”

Harriss kicked off her campaign on April 21 with a dinner held by the Senate Republican Victory Fund.

Crowe represented the 56th Senate District since 2019. She resigned after she was appointed by President Joe Biden to become the United States attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. Crowe defeated Hal Patton in the 2018 election cycle, according to a White House press release.

The new 56th District includes the communities of Alton, Bethalto, Caseyville, Collinsville, East Alton, Edwardsville, Fairview Heights, Glen Carbon, Godfrey, Granite City, Hartford, Maryville, Pontoon Beach, Rosewood Heights, Roxanna, South Roxanna and Wood River.