Representative Norma Hernandez Contact information

Norma Hernandez is a member of the Democratic Party and represents District 77 in the Illinois House of Representatives. She assumed office on January 11, 2023, and her current term ends on January 8, 2025. She is running for re-election to the Illinois House of Representatives to represent District 77.

Born and raised in Melrose Park, Illinois, Norma Hernandez has a strong educational background. She earned an associate degree from Triton College in 2013, a bachelor’s degree in social work from Aurora University in 2017, and a master’s degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2019.

Before her political career, Hernandez gained a wealth of experience in various fields. She began working at the age of 14 by cleaning offices and went on to work full-time at Walgreens for 12 years to pay for her education. From 2017 to 2018, Hernandez was a child welfare specialist at Youth Outreach Services. From 2018 to 2022, she was an urban planner at the UIC Great Cities Institute. Hernandez was also elected to a two-year term on the Triton College Board of Trustees in 2021, becoming the first Latina to ever serve in the role.

In January 2022, Hernandez announced her candidacy in the 2022 election to represent the 77th district in the Illinois House of Representatives, challenging five-term incumbent Kathleen Willis. She said she hoped to represent the changing demographics of the district, and that she was motivated to run due to the lack of resources available to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hernandez was endorsed by Congressman Chuy García of Illinois’s 4th district, as well as progressive organizations and labor unions such as the AFSCME Council 31, Equality Illinois, United Working Families, the Mid-America Carpenters Union and the Chicago Laborers’ District Council. She fundraised $316,000, including $120,000 from unions, compared to Willis’ $330,000 in fundraising. Hernandez upset Willis in the Democratic primary in June after running what the Herald & Review described as “a Chuy-style campaign – lots of family and friends networking, non-stop door-knocking and making sure progressive Latinos got to the polls.” She went on to defeat Republican candidate Anthony Airdo in the general election that November after winning 57.5 percent of the vote.