Illinois’ 15th Congressional District House Race 2026

With Election Day a week away, Illinois Democrats are campaigning beyond state lines to aid party allies nationally. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi backed Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Jon Rosenthal; Sen. Tammy Duckworth campaigned for Sherrod Brown in Ohio; Rahm Emanuel canvassed in New Hampshire; and Rep. Danny Davis and successor nominee La Shawn Ford campaigned for Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate David Crowley. Gov. JB Pritzker is focused on his own reelection, holding a large cash advantage and backing fellow Democrats financially.

Big money is also flowing into Illinois races, including Chicago school board contests, with GOP megadonors Dick and Elizabeth Uihlein and wealthy Democratic-aligned groups both spending heavily to shape outcomes from Springfield to Chicago.

Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, a centrist Democrat, is seeking a political comeback in Illinois' 8th Congressional District, facing Republican newcomer Jennifer Davis in the Nov. 3 general election. The seat is open after Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who has endorsed Bean, left to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate. An independent write-in candidate, Christopher Krumpac, is also running.

The district, which stretches from the northwest Chicago suburbs to Elgin and the Fox River Valley, leans solidly Democratic. Bean, who first won the seat in 2004 and served until 2011, has outraised Davis, aided in part by a super PAC tied to AIPAC that drew progressive criticism during the primary. Davis, a tech entrepreneur making her first run for office, has loaned her own campaign $1 million to stay competitive.

The candidates diverge sharply on abortion, immigration, and Trump-era policies, with Bean casting the race as a check on the administration and Davis positioning herself as a political outsider focused on small business and economic concerns.

Candidates seeking to succeed retiring Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García in Illinois' 4th Congressional District clashed in a televised debate, with three challengers accusing Democratic nominee Patty García of benefiting from insider maneuvering. García, the congressman's former chief of staff, faced no primary opposition after García announced his retirement just before the filing deadline, giving her sole advance notice to gather signatures for the ballot. She defended the outcome as a reflection of her organizing strength.

Independent candidate Chris Getty, the mayor of Lyons and her best-funded rival, said he would not caucus with either party and accused García of building her candidacy on "a lie." García countered by citing a 2019 FBI raid on Lyons Village Hall and alleged misuse of campaign funds, though Getty was never charged. Republican nominee Lupe Castillo and Working Class Party candidate Ed Hershey also participated, sparring over immigration, the minimum wage, and the Iran war. García positioned herself as a progressive who would fight Trump and push to abolish ICE.

Illinois' 2nd Congressional District, stretching from Chicago's South Side through the south suburbs to Kankakee and Danville, is holding an open-seat race after Democrat Robin Kelly, who held the seat since 2012, gave it up for an unsuccessful Senate bid. Democrat Donna Miller, a Cook County commissioner and former healthcare executive, won her primary over candidates including former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Republican Mike Noack, a truck driver making his first political run, is campaigning on government dysfunction and immigration reform. Independent write-in candidate Ashley Banks, a former CTA bus driver and freelance journalist, says she entered the race to give downstate and rural voters a stronger voice. Early voting is underway ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3.