Illinois 2026 Primary: Jesse Jackson Jr. and Others Vie for Robin Kelly’s Congressional Seat

CHICAGO (WLS) — With just four days remaining until the primary election, the race to succeed Congresswoman Robin Kelly, who is eyeing a U.S. Senate seat, is intensifying amid a crowded field of candidates.

The Second Congressional District of Illinois stretches from Kenwood down to Danville and extends westward to Pontiac. The Democratic primary has attracted well-known figures and significant super PAC funding. As the campaign enters its final stretch, ABC7 caught up with the top three contenders vying for the seat.

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On the campaign trail, former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. made a stop at Valois in Hyde Park, engaging with diners as part of his last-minute efforts to drum up support.

“I’m hopeful that our message resonates and that voters want progress for the Second Congressional District,” Jackson expressed confidently.

Meanwhile, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller was busy engaging with constituents in Matteson on Friday, aiming to emerge as the candidate who unifies voter support.

“Consensus builder; that’s what I am. I know how to go across the aisle and have conversations. I’m not saying we’re always going to agree, but we will have that conversation. I think that’s what’s missing right now in Washington. Nobody’s talking to each other,” Miller said.

ABC7 also caught up with Illinois state Sen. Robert Peters before an event on the South Side.

“This is one of the most working-class districts. People’s health care is being cut. People are losing their housing. People are struggling every day. They want to see people in Congress fighting to make their lives easier. That is our jobs,” Peters said.

Super PACs are spending millions on this race. AIPAC, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, is running pro-Miller ads. Think Big, an AI PAC, is boosting Jackson’s campaign, while Fairshake, a crypto PAC, is attacking Peters. So, are the candidates concerned about such outside influences?

“The Illinois Second Congressional District is a working-class, Black district, and having these billionaire, right-wing donors coming and trying to buy up this scene is a real concern that we should all be worried about,” Peters said.

“What I’m hearing from voters is, mainly the media and my opponents are the ones talking about all these issues. We’re not hearing that from the community. That’s not what they’re focused on,” Miller said.

“There’s been no coordination, but they certainly heard my openness to the idea that we’re not running from economic opportunity for our district,” Jackson said.

Whoever voters select in the Democratic primary will be favored to win the congressional seat in November.

“We’ve hid nothing about my past convictions. And so, voters who are voting for me in this race are solid voters, because they don’t have any more questions,” Jackson said.

“People in my district know me. I represent, already, 27% of this district. I, also, the largest voting bloc population in this district is African American women over the age of 55; that’s me,” Miller said.

“We have Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, the Working Families Party, a whole bunch of progressive labor unions and progressive groups that are doing work side-by-side with us. We believe we have the coalition that we can win on Election Day,” Peters said.

With only four days until the election, the candidates do not have much time to influence last-minute voters, but they will be doing everything possible to reach as many as they can.