Illinois’ congressional delegation is guaranteed to have a handful of new faces next year with five open U.S. House seats across Chicago and surrounding suburbs.
While control of the U.S. House of Representatives is a major story across the country with dozens of close races determining the balance of power, the Illinois openings are all expected to stay under Democratic control.
The open races are the result of a slate of retirements from longtime House members. Below are the districts set to receive new representation.
Democratic candidate Donna Miller, a Cook County commissioner since 2018, was declared the winner by the Associated Press to replace U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly.
Miller defeated Republican challenger Michael Scott Noack from Bonfield in Kankakee County.
Miller was leading with 67.9% to Noack’s 32.1% with about 33% of votes counted, according to unofficial returns.
Miller has said much of the district has suffered from disinvestment and “well-documented government neglect.” In her responses to the WTTW News Voter Guide, Miller pointed to a push for a south suburban airport and tax reform as major focuses.
Noack said affordable healthcare and housing costs are the most pressing issues in the district.
The 2nd District includes portions of Chicago’s South Side and suburbs and extends all the way downstate through Kankakee and past Danville.
Democratic nominee Patty García was declared the winner by the Associated Press.
García was leading with 71.3% of the vote with 30% of votes counted, according to unofficial results. Republican Lupe Castillo was in second with 14.7%, followed by independent Chris Getty at 10.1% and Ed Hershey of the Working Class Party at 3.6%.
The race to represent the 4th District has been controversial from the start.
Retiring U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García dropped out of the race at the last minute during petition filings, clearing the way for his chief of staff, Patty García, to become the only Democrat on the primary ballot.
Getty is the mayor of suburban Lyons, and Hershey is a high school teacher.
The Hispanic-majority 4th District covers portions of the Southwest Side of Chicago and western suburbs.
García has pointed to immigration policy and issues of affordability as primary concerns.
Democratic candidate La Shawn Ford, an Illinois state Representative, was declared the winner by the Associated Press to take the seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis.
Ford defeated Republican Chad Koppie.
Ford was leading with 88.8% to Koppie’s 11.2% with 56% of votes counted, according to unofficial returns.
Ford has represented Illinois’ 8th District in the state House of Representatives since 2007 and survived a hotly contested primary to win the nomination.
Ford said in his responses to the WTTW News Voter Guide that he is running to “safeguard our families, reduce costs, and defend our democracy.”
Koppie said his main goal in office would be to propose a constitutional amendment “that would say that each human life begins at conception.”
The district covers parts of downtown Chicago, the South and West sides, and near western suburbs.
Democratic candidate Melissa Bean was declared winner by the Associated Press to take the seat that opened up after U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi opted to mount an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate.
Bean, who previously represented the district that covers portions of the northwest suburbs, defeated Republican challenger Jennifer Davis.
Bean was in the lead with 66.9% of the vote to Davis’s 33.1% with 46% of votes counted, according to unofficial results.
Bean stressed the importance of returning to the rule of law and basic norms. “We must restore our Constitution, checks and balances, and Congressional authority – particularly powers of the purse, tariffs, taxes, and war,” she said in response to the WTTW News Voter Guide.
“With our democracy on the line, the voters of the 8th district showed up and sent an unmistakable message: it’s time to get our country back on track,” Bean said in a statement on election night.
Davis, a tech entrepreneur, said the district is in need of a political outsider. She said affordability is the most important issue facing the district and vowed to cut federal taxes and “reduce burdensome regulations that stifle small businesses and entrepreneurs.”
Davis called Bean to concede on Tuesday night, and said in a statement “Hope is not determined by a single night’s results. It is determined by the people who refuse to accept that Washington will never change.”
Former Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss was declared the winner by the Associated Press to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky.
Biss defeated Republican John Elleson.
Biss led with 79% to Elleson’s 21% of the vote with 59% of votes counted, according to unofficial results.
Biss emerged victorious from a very crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the district that starts in lakefront neighborhoods of Chicago and Evanston and winds its way through the northwest suburbs.
Biss credited Schakowsky’s mentorship in a statement released after the race was called, saying “this seat has a long legacy of progressive leadership, and no one can truly fill the shoes of my dear friend and mentor, Jan Schakowsky.”
Elleson, who has spent 40 years as a pastor, said the country needs bipartisan immigration reform and more investment in mental health and addiction services.
Biss has been an aggressive critic of the Trump administration and said affordability, particularly around healthcare, is the most important issue facing his potential constituents. He also cited limited housing stock and rising housing costs as issues to address.
“Congress has a lot to learn from what we’ve accomplished in Illinois, and I intend to bring those lessons to Washington,” the statement from Biss said.
Matt Masterson contributed reporting.
