When the new Congress takes the oath of office in January of 2027, at least five of Illinois’ House members will be rookies on Capitol Hill. It’s been years since we’ve seen that kind of turnover, brought on by a combination of retirements and a desire for upward mobility. Democratic voters in four of those districts will choose from a list of candidates that will make their ballot look like a receipt from CVS … and the lack of choices in another district has made that race controversial.
Here’s a look at those five districts:
2nd DISTRICT
Incumbent: Robin Kelly (D) - Running For U.S. Senate
The decision by longtime Sen. Dick Durbin to retire at the end of his term opened up two of the five seats we’ll cover here, including the 2nd District, which stretches from Chicago’s South side to Danville in central Illinois. The former Congressman in this district, Jesse Jackson Jr., is running for redemption after stepping down just before pleading guilty to federal fraud charges more than a decade ago. He’s running in a crowded primary that includes four current office-holders: state Senators Robert Peters and Willie Preston, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller. and Water Reclamation District Commissioner Yumeka Brown. Will voters fondly remember Rep. Jackson’s service to the district, or the allegations that he bought Michael Jackson memorabilia and thousands of capes (not a typo) with campaign funds?
7th DISTRICT
Incumbent: Danny Davis (D) - Retiring
Thirteen Democrats are in the primary for the chance to succeed the veteran (and sonorous) Rep. Davis, and three are current office-holders: longtime State Rep. LaShawn Ford (Davis’ pick), Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, and Rory Hoskins, who’s the mayor of Forest Park. This is the most Democratic Congressional district in Illinois, and it’s been represented by a Black person continuously since the late Rep. Cardiss Collins took the seat in 1973. However, real-estate and development magnate Jason Friedman has amassed the biggest war chest of any candidate in the race, and he and Conyears-Ervin have been called out recently for accepting contributions from donors and political action committees tied to supporters of the Israeli government. It remains to be seen how national-level progressive debates over Israel meet the road in the 7th.
8th DISTRICT
Incumbent: Raja Krishnamoorthi (D) - Running For U.S. Senate
When Melissa Bean won election to Congress in the 8th District in 2004, she unseated 12-year Republican incumbent Phil Crane … who famously never called to concede on Election Night. Now, the former Rep. Bean, who was unseated in the 2010 midterms, is hoping she can recapture the seat now held by Rep. Krishnamoorthi. To do so, however, she’ll have to get through seven other Democrats, including Cook County commissioner Kevin Morrison, Hanover Park trustee Yasmeen Bankole and frequent Krishnamoorthi challenger Junaid Ahmed. There are four Republicans in this race as well, but this seat has been held by a Democrat for all but two of the last 22 years … and the lone Republican to be elected in that time, radio host Joe Walsh (who beat Rep. Bean), is now a self-described Democrat.
9th DISTRICT
Incumbent: Jan Schakowsky (D) - Retiring
Full disclosure: I live in the 9th District, and if I had a nickel for every glossy campaign mailer that showed up in our mailbox over the last month or so, I’d be able to buy lunch downtown more than once a week. There are 16 Democrats in the primary, including five elected office-holders (Evanston mayor Daniel Biss, state Sens. Laura Fine and Mike Simmons, state Rep. Hoan Huynh, Skokie District 73.5 board member Bushra Amiwala), and one influencer, activist Kat Abughazaleh. This race has gotten most of the media attention in Chicago, thanks to the appearance of several candidates in protests at the ICE processing facility in Broadview, which isn’t even in the 9th District. Abughazaleh has attracted a lot of interest, but Biss - who was a state lawmaker before becoming Evanston’s mayor - picked up the incumbent’s endorsement, and that’s a big win in a district full of “lakefront liberals.”
4th DISTRICT
Incumbent: Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D) - Retiring
To describe Rep. Garcia’s announcement that he had changed his mind about seeking re-election as “eleventh-hour” would be an understatement. The veteran Democrat and progressive pillar of Chicago politics declared that he was withdrawing his petitions a week after filing them, and moments after the deadline had passed for the primary, leaving … surprise! … his former chief of staff, the unrelated Patty Garcia, as the only Democrat in the race. The Congressman cites health and family concerns for his sudden about-face, and we genuinely wish him and his loved ones peace. And even as many establishment Democrats rally around Patty Garcia, other progressives in the 4th District have expressed disappointment, suggesting that it may tarnish the Congressman’s reputation. This race will be quiet in March, but it’ll turn up in November, when at least two independents - organizer Mayra Macias and Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez - are expected to be on the ballot.