Suzanne Akhras 

A candidate for the 82nd District state House seat in the near southwest DuPage and Cook County suburbs is alleging that someone has been circulating a racist and Islamophobic “push poll” that suggests she is connected to terrorist groups. 

Democrat Suzanne Akhras of Burr Ridge is on the Nov. 5 ballot, opposing Republican Nicole Laha-Zwiercan of Homer Glen. Akhras said that in recent days, as she walked the district knocking on doors to talk with potential voters, she was asked by numerous people if she was aware of a poll regarding her alleged ties to terrorism. 

“At the door, people were telling me, ‘Do you know what they’re saying about you?’” Akhras said in a phone interview conducted with her and her campaign manager Thursday. 

She also started hearing from friends and relatives about the poll; some forwarded her a text message with a survey link. She said people told her they received phone calls asking to discuss the race before the text message was sent.  

The gist of the offending question, Akhras said, was “Would you vote for Suzanne Akhras if you knew she belonged to Islamic terrorist groups?” 

Akhras said the text mentioned “a poll about the upcoming general election,” and had a link to the survey. However, she said, when she clicked on the link it wouldn’t open up. 

She called the push poll “racist, Islamophobic and xenophobic.” 

There is no evidence Akhras’s opponent, Laha-Zwiercan, had anything to do with the poll at

Nicole Laha-Zwiercan 

issue. A phone number for Laha-Zwiercan was disconnected, and no email is listed on her candidate filing with the state.  

Akhras said she believes she has been targeted because she is a Muslim and of Middle Eastern heritage.  

“Yes, I do feel like it’s a smear campaign,” she said. “I’ve lived in Burr Ridge for nearly 20 years now. My kids went to school here.”  

She said the wording of the poll was meant to portray her as a danger to the community “because of my faith and my ethnicity.”  

Akhras’s campaign manager, Ioana Fernandez, said the phrasing used in the poll was meant to call Akhras’s character into question. 

“If this push poll had targeted a white candidate,” Fernandez said, “this question would never have been considered.”  

Asked if they planned to take any further action regarding the issue, Fernadez said, “We’re six weeks away from Election Day. We don’t have time to do investigative journalism.” 

Akhras said they just wanted to raise awareness of what happened and get back to campaigning. 

“I’m doubling down,” she said. “I’m walking the district, I’m canvassing, I’m making sure I do everything to win.” 

Akhras’ father is Syrian, her mother is Canadian, and her maternal grandparents are originally from Ireland and Scotland. She credits her grandfather, a Methodist minister, for “profoundly influencing” her and teaching her “the importance of welcoming others.”  

Akhras is the founder and executive director of the Syrian Community Network, and is chair of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Community for Displaced Immigrants. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Lewis University and has completed nonprofit management and executive education at Northwestern University. 

She is endorsed by the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Citizen Action Illinois, Planned Parenthood Illinois, Equality Illinois, the Indian American Political Alliance, and Moms Demand Action.  

She said she is “dedicated to ensuring women’s access to reproductive healthcare, securing and expanding mental health resources, advocating for community safety initiatives, and reducing gun violence.” 

She is also endorsed by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, and U.S. Reps. Sean Casten, Bill Foster, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Jan Schakowsky. 

Republican Laha-Zwiercan, who has the distinction of being the 2022 Mrs. America, is a former press secretary for state Sen. Dan McConchie. She has served as a Homer Glen village trustee since 2021. 

When House Minority Leader Jim Durkin resigned office in February, 2023, Lemont Mayor John Egofske was appointed to replace him. However, when Egofske himself resigned 10 months later, Laha-Zwiercan was selected to replace him.  

Laha-Zwiercan has said that as a village trustee she “fought and voted against all tax increases,” and that as a state representative she would be committed to people with disabilities. 

She has criticized “the misplaced priorities of our self-serving majority party.” 

Laha-Zwiercan ended the second quarter with $59,205 on hand. Since then, Laha-Zwiercan has received $12,000 from the House Republican Organization for consulting, and another $13,100 was spent by the HRO on polling Aug. 22. In mid-September, the HRO paid nearly $59,000 to vendors, mostly for her digital ads and a mailing.  

Akhras finished June with $100,284 on hand thanks to 125 itemized individual contributions between $250 and $5,000, adding up to $88,800. Since then, she has received 11 contributions of more than $1,000, totaling $19,600, including a $6,900 donation. 

While the 82nd District has a history of voting Republican, Donald Trump won the district by just 2 points in 2020, and some consider the district competitive. 

The Chicago Axios news outlet reported Sept. 23 that the 82nd District was considered in play by Democrats. Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch was quoted as saying that the 47th, 52nd and 114th House districts as seats he believed the Democrats will win. Without attributing it specifically to Welch, Axios added that “Democrats believe they also have a shot at Republican seats in the 48th, 79th, 82nd, and 104th House Districts.” 

In another interview, with Politico’s Playbook, Welch said, “We’re seeing districts in play that were not in play before. It changes the election in a big way.” 

Asked if she knew why party leadership had not yet backed her campaign financially, Akhras said “That’s something you can ask the Speaker about.” 

Both Akhras and Fernandez say they stay in touch with party leadership, that they have received regular feedback on various issues, and that they send party leaders “periodic updates all the time.”  

Akhras suggested broad citizen support is more important than party support, saying, “My campaign is very much grass roots. It’s funded by the people. It’s very diverse.”