Rabbi legislator in Illinois loses Democratic primary bid

The only rabbi to ever serve in the Illinois state legislature loses in the Democratic primary to a progressive candidate backed by his predecessor.

Rabbi Yehiel “Mark” Kalish garners 31.9 percent of the vote in the Chicago-area’s 16th District on Tuesday, losing to Denyse Wang Stoneback, who has 42.9 percent. With no Republican challenger, Stoneback is all but assured a seat in the state’s House of Representatives.

Kalish, an Orthodox Jewish father of six, was appointed in January 2019 to fill the unexpired term of state Rep. Lou Lang, who had served the district for more than three decades. Lang resigned shortly after he was re-elected because of a business opportunity.

The suburban district, which includes Skokie and Rogers Park, is about 30 percent Orthodox Jewish.

Kalish, 44, angered many voters in June when he voted “present” on the Reproductive Health Act, reversing what other lawmakers described as a commitment to support the abortion rights bill, Patch reported. Kalish said at the time that he had hoped to support the bill, but “as the legislation was developed, it became clear to me that my Orthodox Jewish values and beliefs were not aligned with some core components of the legislation. I had to make a personal decision based on my conscience.”

— JTA