Greg Harris (Illinois politician)


Gregory S. Harris is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, having represented the state's 13th district since 2007.

Early life and career

Harris is an alumnus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. He then worked for social service agencies. He served in senior positions with the National Home Furnishings Association. He then became Chief of Staff to Mary Ann Smith a position in which he served for fourteen years.

Legislative tenure

Larry McKeon, who had held the seat for five terms, announced his intention to retire from the legislature in July 2006. He had, though, already been re-elected in the March primary election to be the Democratic candidate on the November general-election ballot, and it fell to the local Democratic committeemen to select his successor to appear on the ballot. Harris, like McKeon, is both openly gay and HIV-positive. He was elected in November 2006. No Republican filed for the District 13 seat. He also ran unopposed for re-election in 2008.
In 2010, Harris sponsored The Illinois Religious Freedom Protection & Civil Union Act, which was signed into law on January 31, 2011 by Governor Pat Quinn. The act established civil unions in Illinois.
On January 10, 2019, Harris became the House Majority Leader.

Electoral History