Illinois Senate Candidates for District #56 Talk Immigration, Energy, and Federal Politics

EDWARDSVILLE - The League of Women Voters and the NAACP hosted a candidate forum ahead of the primary election on March 17, 2026. Candidates for the Illinois Senate 56th District — Marsie Geldert-Murphey and Kevin Hall — introduced themselves and spoke about their platforms.

During the candidate forum on Feb. 25, 2026, Democrats Geldert-Murphey and Hall shared more about their decision to run for Illinois Senate to represent the 56th District.

Hall explained that he is a Glen Carbon resident and formerly served as the Edwardsville Township Supervisor. He partnered with organizations like the Glen-Ed Food Pantry and the Overnight Warming Locations in this role. He highlighted affordability, clean drinking water and public education as his major issues.

“I know people are struggling, going through a tough time right now,” he said. “We want to do whatever we can to just make people’s lives easier and better.”

Geldert-Murphey is a civil engineer with a union background. She said she is interested in strengthening economic opportunities by bringing union jobs and industry to the region. She added that everyone deserves to “live with dignity” and she will protect rights.

“I am a bridge-builder, literally and figuratively,” she said. “We can't keep asking people to work more and pay more just to keep their head above water. As your senator, you will be my priority.”

The first question asked, “What is the role of our state government in national politics?"

Geldert-Murphey said Illinois needs to be “proactive” to respond to “threats” against Medicare and healthcare. She added that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished. She believes state politicians need to “Trump-proof our state” by protecting human rights and ensuring the state budget is strong.

Hall agreed that the state government is now “very reactionary” to the federal government and will likely continue to face these situations “for the next three years.” In his previous role, he said he often found ways to be “creative” with program funding, and he will continue this passion as a state senator.

The second question asked, “Do you believe the state benefits from more or fewer immigrants? Do you support refugees moving into the state?”

Hall said immigrants are “crucial to our country” and that ICE’s treatment of people has been “completely unacceptable.” He added that ICE should be reformed or defunded. He said the country needs to create better ways for people to gain citizenship and pointed out that many doctors and students in Illinois are immigrants.

Geldert-Murphey shared that her grandfather was an immigrant whose life "changed drastically” when he was able to join a union. She said she has worked with immigrants and found them to be “some of the hardest-working, most skilled workers” she has encountered. She added the immigration system needs to be reformed.

The third question asked, “What do you believe is the most reliable and effective energy source to support our growing demand?”

Geldert-Murphey said we need a “balanced, practical approach that looks at reliability, affordability and environmental responsibility." She believes carbon-neutrality is a good goal but the state needs a path to get there. She added that affordability is a major concern for consumers.

Hall said an “all-of-the-above approach” is ideal. He said every parking lot at SIUE should be covered with solar panels, and he wants to utilize the state’s resources to lead this technology. He added that data centers should be a state issue, as property bills will be affected across the state if one is built in Illinois.

The primary election is scheduled for March 17, 2026.