La Shawn Ford
DIllinois House of Representatives, District 8 (since 2007)
La Shawn Ford is the Democratic nominee for the open Illinois 7th District seat. A member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the West Side since 2007, he won the March 2026 Democratic primary in a crowded field with about 24% of the vote.[1][2]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
On the record — official actions
- actionHas chaired the Illinois House Appropriations-Higher Education Committee in the 2019-2020, 2021-2022, 2023-2024 and 2025-2026 sessions.[3]
- legalPleaded guilty in federal court in August 2014 to one misdemeanor count of filing a false tax return, after being indicted in 2012 on eight counts of bank fraud and nine counts of providing false information to a bank; the felony charges were dropped and he was sentenced to six months' probation and 100 hours of community service.[3]
Positions on the issues
- SupportsExpand public health coverage
Says he would preserve and expand access to Medicaid and SNAP benefits.[2]
In their words — priorities
- On public health, says he would preserve and expand access to Medicaid and SNAP benefits, citing legislation he says he passed that increased healthcare coverage and improved school nutrition.[2]
- Says he would work to lower the cost of living by making housing, education and child care more affordable, pointing to legislation he sponsored that funded education and supported housing stability.[2]
- On the economy, says he would work to create jobs and support small businesses, citing his experience as a real estate business owner.[2]
Background
- Received a bachelor's degree in education from Loyola University.[2]
- Worked as a teacher in the Chicago public school system and founded a real estate business before entering elected politics.[2]
- Has served in the Illinois House of Representatives since 2007, chairing the Appropriations-Higher Education Committee in multiple recent sessions.[3]
- In 2012 was indicted on federal bank-fraud and false-statement charges; in August 2014 he pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor tax count in exchange for the 17 felony charges being dropped, and was sentenced to six months' probation and 100 hours of community service.[2]
Campaign money
Raised $722K · spent $609K · $113K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗