[4] Stern continued to be known for her wit, charm and dedication to public service as she served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1985 to 1993.
Mrs. Stern also became known for her support of women's issues, equal rights, gun control, voter registration, the disadvantaged and the mentally ill.
In 1992 Stern narrowly defeated Republican Roger Keats based on winning 77% of the Lake County votes in the two-county, 29th senatorial district[5] and served in the Illinois State Senate from 1993 until 1995.
[6] In 1994, a poor election year for Democrats, Stern narrowly lost her campaign for re-election to Republican Kathy Parker.
Among politicians of both parties attending her funeral were her former running-mate Adlai Stevenson III, fellow Democrat Dawn Clark Netsch (who in 1990 won election as Illinois Comptroller, becoming the first woman in Illinois history to win a statewide elected office), and Republicans Kathy Parker and current Lake County clerk Willard Helander.