BND 2026 Voter Guide: State Senate 56th District Democratic primary
Welcome to the Belleville News-Democrat’s Voter Guide for the State Senate 56th District Democratic primary that features Marsie Geldert-Murphey and Kevin Hall in the district that stretches from Fairview Heights to Alton.
The News-Democrat has contacted candidates running in contested races in the March 17 Illinois primary and asked them to complete a candidate questionnaire.
While this article has information about the Democratic primary for the State Senate 56th District, you can go to this page at bnd.com to get links to read about other candidates running in the primary.
Below are the responses from Geldert-Murphey and Hall. They are running to be the Democratic nominee in the Nov. 3 election. (They’re listed alphabetically.)
NAME: MARSIE GELDERT-MURPHEY
Age as of March 17, 2026: 61
Campaign website or social media page: Website: https://www.marsieforillinois.info/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarsieforIllinois Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marsie_for_illinois/
Office seeking: Illinois State Senate, District 56
Are you an incumbent? No
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought) No
Occupation: Civil engineer
Education: MS, civil engineering, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri, 1997 BS, civil engineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, 1992
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Elected 2024 Global President of the American Society of Civil Engineers and served as a Presidential Officer 2022 – 2025.
Who are your top three campaign contributors? I have contributed by far the most to my campaign followed by a friend in the civil engineering profession, Maria Lehman and the Teamsters 916.
How much money have you raised for your campaign? I have raised $9,000 from others; the majority are individual personal small donations; the only donations not from an individual person are the Teamsters 916 and Operative Plasterers & Cement Masons. All additional funding for expenses I have donated myself.
Why are you running? I’m running for the Illinois State Senate because families here should be able to build a good life without constantly feeling like they are living paycheck to paycheck. Rising costs for housing, healthcare, energy and everyday expenses are making it harder to get ahead, even when they’re doing everything right.
This is personal for me. Years ago, I was seriously injured in an elevator accident and spent eight days in a coma. If it weren’t for our family’s union health insurance, we would have faced insurmountable medical debt. That experience has stayed with me, and it reinforced something I’ve long believed — no family should ever have to choose between getting the care they need and paying their bills.
I believe our communities should offer real opportunities close to home. Kids should be able to grow up here, go to school here and, if they choose, build their lives here. Seniors should be able to retire with peace of mind, and veterans should have access to the care and support they’ve earned.
Strong communities aren’t built by dividing people. They’re built by investing in them. The people of this district deserve good-paying, union jobs, quality education, affordable healthcare and a thriving economy. My goal as your next state senator is simple: bring people together, focus on practical solutions and make sure opportunity is within reach for every generation in the 56th District.
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? I want to make sure families in the 56th District can stay, thrive and build a future here. That means creating good-paying union jobs, bringing infrastructure projects to the district, and attracting and keeping industries in our communities. I want the 56th District to be a place where everyone can succeed.
This is where my experience comes into play. As a civil engineer, I’ve spent decades working with unions on projects that lift entire communities – from roads and bridges to schools and hospitals. I know the ins and outs of securing these projects and putting the plans into motion. I will make sure these projects aren’t short-term wins, but they’re lasting investments that strengthen our communities for decades to come.
Why should people vote for you? I’m the fighter that this district needs. I bring real-world experience and a practical understanding of what families are facing today. As a civil engineer, I’ve spent my career designing and delivering projects that touch people’s daily lives, like clean water, safe roads, schools, hospitals and energy systems throughout communities in the district. I know what it takes to create meaningful opportunities, and build strong, vibrant communities.
Did you use AI to write your responses to these questions? No
NAME: KEVIN HALL
Age as of March 17, 2026: 39
Campaign website or social media page: www.votekhall.com & www.facebook.com/VoteKHall
lOffice seeking: State Senate District 56
Are you an incumbent? No
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought) Edwardsville Township supervisor - 2021; Edwardsville Township trustee - 2017
Occupation: IT & marketing
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Master’s in recreation, sport and tourism; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Bachelor of Science in recreation, sport and tourism
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: In my time as Edwardsville Township supervisor, I feel I accomplished a lot that helped improve the community.
The biggest task was the groundbreaking to completion of the Township Hall renovation and expansion. The highlights to me were our role in improving people’s lives in the community. We built and strengthened partnerships with GlenEd Pantry, SAK (Serving Area Kids) Lunch Program, Goshen Market, Main Street Community’s Meals on Wheels, and OWL (Overnight Warming Location) to address food insecurity and homelessness. We also received numerous grants to install solar panels, EV chargers, and other environmental improvements that will save the township money while making the community greener.
Finally knowing how high property taxes are, I was proud to leave office with the township’s tax rate being the lowest it has been in over 30 years.
Who are your top three campaign contributors? Myself, Mark Von Nida, Chris Layloff
How much money have you raised for your campaign? ~$15,000
Why are you running? I have three little boys, and I want to do whatever I can to make our community, our county, and our state the best it can be for their future.
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? Affordability for working people across the district.
I would address it by doing whatever we can to keep prices down, whether it is groceries, childcare, utilities, housing or medical. When families, grocery stores and daycare centers’ electric bills jumped last summer, it hit people in the pocket book time and time again. Supply and demand on utilities, with data centers a major piece of the equation, impacts most of these areas and will be crucial to addressing it.
Why should people vote for you? I am focused on making our lives and the lives of our children better. I will fight to bring down prices on everyday necessities like groceries, housing, childcare, utilities and medical bills. I will make improving our water supply a priority so we don’t have to worry for years about PFAS, brown water and cancer causing chemicals coming out of our kitchen faucet every day.
I want to get things done that will make people’s lives easier and better. If you want the next four years and the next 40 years to be better than the last, please vote for me.
Did you use AI to write your responses to these questions? No