Illinois politicians descended on Springfield Monday morning to file to run in the 2026 midterms. Some are running in districts national Democrats are looking to redraw. 

Candidate filing opened Monday and will close on Nov. 3. Most candidates waited in line early Monday morning, hoping to be listed first on the ballot. By Illinois State Board of Elections rules, all candidates in line before 8 a.m. are considered first and are eligible for the top slot.  

Gov. JB Pritzker and his running mate Christian Mitchell filed for the gubernatorial Democratic primary.   

On the Republican side, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey filed their election petitions.   

Bailey, whose son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren were killed in a helicopter crash last week, did not file his petitions in person. Instead, his running mate Aaron Del Mar stood in for the former state senator.   

Del Mar told reporters he and Bailey have not spoken yet about the future of their campaign and said the focus now is preparing for the celebration of life this weekend. He said he likely won’t speak to Bailey until later this week.   

State Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), State Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago), State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Aurora) and Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim filed to run for state comptroller. Comptroller Susana Mendoza is not seeking reelection.   

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias each filed for reelection. Neither has a challenger at this juncture.  

Attorney General Kwame Raoul also filed his reelection petition. He is expected to face a challenger from the Republican Party, though no official petition was filed as of Monday.  

Congress 

A total of seven candidates filed to run for retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) seat.  

Lt. Gov Juliana Stratton, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), community organizer Jump Shepard, public school teacher Kevin Ryan and Steve Botsford, a former staffer for U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Ca.), all filed for the Democratic primary.  

Businessman Casey Chlebek filed for the Republican primary.  

Seven candidates filed for the 2nd Congressional District. State Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago), Yumeka Brown, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), State Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago), Eric France and Donna Miller filed for the Democratic primary. Ashley Ramos filed as a Republican.   

Eleven candidates filed for the 7th Congressional District. Richard Boykin, State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago), Jason Friedman, Anthony Driver, Anabel Mendoza, Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Felix Tello, Jazmin Robinson, Reed Showalter and Rory Hoskins all filed as Democrats.   

Chad Koppie filed as a Republican.   

Thirteen candidates filed for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District. Jennifer Davis and Mark Rice filed for the Republican primary, while Yasmeen Bankole, Melissa Bean, Junaid Ahmed, Neil Khot, Cook County Comm. Kevin Morrison (D-15), Dan Tully, Ryan Vetticad, John Harrell, LaTonya Mitts, Jill Bush and Shantel Franklin filed as Democrats.  

Fourteen candidates filed for the 9th Congressional District. Patricia Brown, Jeff Cohen, Kat Abughazaleh, Bushra Amiwala, Nick Pyati, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, Phil Andrew, State Rep. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago), Laura Fine (D-Glenview), Bruce Leon, Sam Polan, Justin Ford and Yolanda Morris all filed for the Democratic primary. John Elleson filed for the Republican primary.  

The full list of candidates who have filed can be found here.  

Redistricting  

U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries visited Illinois Monday, first meeting with the Illinois Black Legislative Caucus in Chicago and then meeting with legislative leaders in Springfield. His ask: for Illinois lawmakers to pass a legislative map that favors Democrats 15-2.  

This isn’t the first time the idea has been floated. The Trump administration has been meeting with state legislatures in Republican-led states, seeking to have maps drawn that might help the Republican Party hold on to their control of the House.  

Texas and Missouri have redistricted so far, with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun calling for a special session Monday to redraw their map. In response, California has passed a new map that more strongly favors Democratic candidates, although that map will require the approval of California voters. Virginia Democrats are also pursuing redistricting.  

Illinois leaders have appeared weary of redrawing Illinois’ map, which is already criticized for its meandering districts and 14-3 Democratic favor. The map has faced several lawsuits but has been upheld in court.  

Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday that a redrawn map is “possible” and said it doesn’t have to happen during veto session, which starts again Tuesday and is scheduled to end Thursday.  

He accused President Donald Trump of trying to “rig the game,” and said redistricting is something Illinois Democrats will have to consider in light of action by Republican states.  

State Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago), chair of the Illinois Black Legislative Caucus, told Punchbowl News last week that the caucus would oppose a map that would dilute the number of Black voters in historically Black districts.  

This presents a problem for redistricting efforts, as any attempt to add an additional Democratic seat would likely do just that.  

Jeffries described the meetings with Illinois lawmakers as “positive” and said they were open minded to the notion.  

Jeffries told reporters he did not present any specific maps in the meetings but instead spoke more broadly about the attempts by the Trump administration to pass more favorable maps in Republican states. He said it would also be a House Democrat priority to preserve the Black and Latino vote. 

“Each and every week brings a new Republican state that is following Donald Trump's orders to gerrymander a congressional map,” he said. “Last week, it was North Carolina. This week, it's Indiana. Next week, it will be another Republican state, because Donald Trump is determined to change congressional maps all across the country as part of his effort to rig the midterm elections.”  

He echoed Pritzker’s sentiment that the map doesn’t need to be completed this week. After veto session ends, lawmakers aren’t expected to return to Springfield until the start of the spring legislative session in January.  

In a statement, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said, “all options must remain on the table.”  

“What the Republicans are continuing to do across the country is unprecedented and frankly wrong,” Welch said. “We are watching our elections be manipulated in real time by Republicans desperate to defend an agenda that raises the prices of everything, forces people to live in fear, and threatens our entire Republic.”