The political landscape in Illinois is set for a whirlwind year, as both the March primaries and the November midterms are poised to significantly reshape the state’s congressional delegation.

Adding to the political frenzy is the gubernatorial race along with the onset of the Chicago mayoral contest in the fall.

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Political enthusiasts and analysts alike can expect 2026 to be a landmark year, bursting with numerous races and a plethora of candidates aiming for what might be an extraordinary number of vacant congressional positions. Voters are in for a year filled with critical decisions.

“This year promises to be both dynamic and unpredictable, especially for Democrats. With four congressional contests and four open seats, the competition is going to be fierce,” remarked Laura Washington, ABC7 Political Analyst.

Numerous contenders are already lining up for the primary, eager to seize the Democrat-held House seats.

In the race to replace Rep. Danny Davis, 13 Democrats are running in the 7th District primary. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s 9th District has drawn interest from 17 candidates. With Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi giving up their seats to run for the U.S. Senate, Kelly’s 2nd district has 10 Democrats in the primary, and there are another eight in Krishnamoorthi’s 8th District.

“A lot of women are running, which is very good. You know, some old timers are running, but the progressive young folks are doing a heck of a job. They’re not so much talking issues as they are talking how much Donald Trump doesn’t belong in the White House,” said Mercury Public Affairs Illinois Co-Chair Thom Serafin.

Sen. Dick Durbin’s decision to retire set the political dominoes in motion and opened the door for a combined 17 Democrats and Republicans to run to replace him.

“I think the generational change has been a long time coming, and a lot of people are excited about getting some fresh faces and some new perspectives in Congress, particularly from Illinois,” Washington said.

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget battle defeat to a group of renegade Chicago City Council members could make for a challenging new year for him.

“The city council is emboldened. They won a big victory with this budget, and I think that they’re going to be loaded for bear, and they’re going to be looking for more victories, and they’re not going to be holding back,” Washington said.

A weakened Johnson could spur a lot of challengers to file petitions next fall to run against him.

“I think he’s going to be one of the two candidates in the runoff in the spring of ’27 which is, you know, a long way away, but everybody’s positioning themselves now for getting into that race,” Serafin said.

Billionaire Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is running for a third term, with six Republicans set to square off in the primary to challenge him in November.

“I think JB Pritzker’s job is going to be to get out the vote, to make a very definitive statement by winning in a landslide. He’s going to want to really win big this time around, particularly because he has presidential aspirations,” Washington said.

With so many races, that also means voters will face an avalanche of political ads on TV, in their mailboxes and on their electronic devices. The primary election is only two-and-a-half months away.