State Representative Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) was appointed to the 11th District State Senate seat on Tuesday evening by the Democratic Legislative Committee of the 11th Legislative District, after Senator Martin Sandoval vacated his position late last year. “It is long past time for ethical, principled, progressive leadership to fight for the working families of the 11th District,” said Sen. Villanueva. “I hit the ground running and kept sprinting throughout my tenure as state representative standing up for the families of the Southwest Side–I’m proud of the progressive legislation I’ve added to my legacy so far, and I’m ready to step up and lead the way forward to a brighter future for our most vulnerable communities.”  Sen. Villanueva filed petitions with the State Board of Elections in order to appear on the March 17 primary ballot to fill the 11th District seat.  Villanueva was sworn into the House of Representatives in July 2018. In the House, Villanueva served on the Labor & Commerce Committee and the Elections & Campaign Finance; Public Utilities; and Appropriations-Human Services and Higher Education committees.  The 11th Senate District includes Brighton Park, Clearing, Gage Park, Garfield Ridge, Little Village, West Lawn, and municipalities of Bedford Park, Burbank, Cicero, Forest View, Lyons, McCook, Stickney, Summit and Riverside.