Norma Hernandez

Norma Hernandez (born 1990/1991) is an American politician serving as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 77th district. Elected in November 2022, she assumed office on January 11, 2023. Hernandez is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and education Hernandez was born and raised in Melrose Park, Illinois. Her grandfather had immigrated to the area from Jalisco in the 1960s as part of the Bracero Program. Both of her parents worked manufacturing jobs, and her father was a union member for almost 30 years. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in social work from Aurora University in 2016 and her Master of Arts in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in 2019. 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. She fundraised $316,000, including $120,000 from unions, compared to Willis' $330,000 in fundrasing.

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.