A wave of open seats

Four Chicago-area U.S. House districts — the 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th — are suddenly up for grabs, a rare alignment driven by veteran departures and a Senate domino that began with Sen. Dick Durbin’s decision not to seek a sixth term. That choice sparked U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi to pursue the open Senate seat, while longtime Reps. Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky announced retirements, opening a quartet of safe Democratic seats to new contenders, according to Axios and Associated Press.

The pivotal date is March 17, 2026, when Illinois holds its primary — effectively the main event in districts long represented by Democrats. Petition signatures to qualify for the ballot are due in early November, making the fall filing window a decisive early test of organization, according to [Chicago Tribune] and Wikipedia. With the general election in deep-blue seats likely less competitive, the Democratic primaries will be the contests to watch, the [Chicago Tribune] reported.

Who’s running where

2nd District: South Side to the Indiana line — and a potential comeback

Stretching from 43rd Street on Chicago’s South Side along the Indiana border to downstate Danville, the 2nd has been represented by Kelly since 2013. She’s now pursuing the Senate, leaving a crowded field to replace her, the [Chicago Tribune] reported.

  • Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller launched her bid July 9, leaning on a Southland mayoral network and her background in health policy. “On the Cook County Board, I’ve worked to expand health care access, lower costs and deliver better care — especially for women and communities of color,” she said, casting her run as a response to “Washington … giving tax breaks to billionaires,” according to the [Chicago Tribune].
  • State Sen. Robert Peters entered with an early endorsement from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a signal of progressive muscle. Peters told the Tribune, “I have a record and I have a personal narrative that I think really touches on where we’re at right now,” highlighting his role in passing Illinois’ law ending bail for nonviolent crimes and protections for abortion rights, per the [Chicago Tribune].
  • Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who held the seat for nearly 17 years before resigning amid a corruption probe, formed an exploratory committee, stating his “intention to secure a place on the ballot,” the [Chicago Tribune] reported.
  • State Sen. Willie Preston filed to run, arguing Washington needs “a new breed of leadership, not Twitter champions or the politics of the past dressed up in redemption,” according to the [Chicago Tribune].
  • Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner and Matteson Clerk Yumeka Brown is running on protecting Social Security, Medicaid and women’s rights, the [Chicago Tribune] reported.

Other Democratic filers include Adal Regis, Eric France and Jeremy Young; Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin formed an exploratory committee. Republicans Ashley Ramos, Calvin Coleman and Michael Scott Noack have filed, as has independent Ashley Banks, according to the [Chicago Tribune].

7th District: From the Loop to Oak Park — with a handoff and a scrum

The 7th runs from downtown through the West Side into near-west suburbs including Oak Park. After nearly three decades in Congress, Davis will retire — and he endorsed state Rep. La Shawn Ford as his successor, the [Chicago Tribune] reported.

Ford called the endorsement “a strong affirmation of our shared mission to uplift and empower the people we serve” and pledged to “boldly defend and expand civil rights, human rights and the dignity of every person,” while criticizing “Make America Hate Again,” according to the [Chicago Tribune].

Also in the mix: Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who finished second to Davis in 2024 and is campaigning on forcing “those billionaires” to “pay their fair share” and standing up to “MAGA Republicans,” per the [Chicago Tribune]. Former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, a onetime Davis chief of staff, filed in July and told the Tribune, “People are losing what they believe is the American dream … So I’m running for them,” the [Chicago Tribune] reported.

The field further includes business owner Jason Friedman; Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, who argues local progress on revitalization and safety can be a national model; union leader and police-oversight chair Anthony Driver, who says he’s running because “we need more fierce advocates for justice”; and emergency physician and former White House Fellow Dr. Thomas Fisher, focused on life expectancy gaps within the district, according to the [Chicago Tribune]. Additional Democratic filers include John McCombs, Kamaria Kali, Jerico Brown, Danica David Leigh and Tekita Martinez. As of early August, no Republicans had filed federal paperwork, the [Chicago Tribune] reported.

8th District: Northwest suburbs in flux — and a familiar name returns

With Krishnamoorthi seeking the Senate, the northwest suburban 8th — stretching north and west of Carpentersville and dipping as far east and south as Rosemont — has drawn a trio of prominent Democrats, according to the [Chicago Tribune].

  • Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison announced in May, saying he believes “everybody deserves a fair shot to get ahead,” and he has the backing of Rep. Eric Sorensen, the [Chicago Tribune] reported.
  • Hanover Park Trustee Yasmeen Bankole, a former Krishnamoorthi aide who also worked for Sen. Durbin, is pitching experience “when you put the people of Illinois first every day,” per the [Chicago Tribune].
  • Former Rep. Melissa Bean, who flipped the district in 2004 before losing in 2010, reentered with a “Bean is Back” message after stints in the private sector, the [Chicago Tribune] reported.

Other Democratic filers include Junaid Ahmed — endorsed by Rep. Ro Khanna — as well as Dan Tully, Christ Kallas, Neil Khot, Joseph Wentzel, Ryan Vetticad and Sanjyot Dunung. Republican Mark Rice is also planning a run, according to the [Chicago Tribune].

9th District: Lakefront to the North Shore — a wide-open progressive-to-centrist sweep

The 9th runs from Chicago’s North Side near Graceland Cemetery north to Wilmette and out to Crystal Lake. After 14 terms, Schakowsky will retire, and as of mid-June she was not planning to endorse, preferring an open primary, according to Associated Press and the [Chicago Tribune].

  • Progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh jumped out early, raising more than $375,000 in her first weeks and insisting her bid is “about our ground game,” the [Chicago Tribune] reported.
  • Bushra Amiwala, a Skokie school board member and Gen Z officeholder who works at Google, is running as “a fresh perspective from a familiar face,” per the [Chicago Tribune].
  • Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, a former state lawmaker and 2018 gubernatorial contender, raised $350,000 on day one and has Rep. Sean Casten’s endorsement. “People are looking for someone who can demonstrate the ability to actually use government to improve people’s lives,” he told the [Chicago Tribune].
  • State Sen. Laura Fine is emphasizing health insurance battles born of personal crisis: “I made taking on big insurance my life’s work,” she said, adding a roster of endorsements from fellow lawmakers, according to the [Chicago Tribune].
  • State Rep. Hoan Huynh, who won a surprise 2022 primary with strong grassroots support, says he’ll fight “for a future where everyone has a fair shot,” the [Chicago Tribune] reported.
  • State Sen. Mike Simmons, the first openly gay member of the Illinois Senate, says he’s running because the district’s communities “are struggling” and that his focus will be on affordability and transit, per the [Chicago Tribune].

Also filed: Democrat Nick Pyati, who reported $140,000 raised on his first day; Democrat Bruce Leon, who loaned his campaign $610,000; and Democrats Phil Andrew, Miracle Jenkins, Jeff Cohen, David Abrevaya, Bethany Johnson, Lauren Million, Howard Rosenblum, Justin Ford and Jill Manrique. Republicans Mark Su and Rocio Cleveland have filed as well. Amiwala raised about $199,000 and kept more than $191,000 on hand, according to the [Chicago Tribune].

Why the primary matters

All four districts are currently held by Democrats, making the Democratic primaries the de facto battlegrounds this cycle. Republicans are also fielding candidates, hoping to flip at least one seat and protect a narrow House majority, the [Chicago Tribune] reported. But given the districts’ histories and maps, the March 17 contests are poised to be decisive in shaping Illinois’ next congressional delegation, as summarized by Wikipedia and the [Chicago Tribune].

What’s still unknown

Early fundraising and endorsements offer hints — from Biss’s day-one haul to Sorensen’s nod for Morrison and Ro Khanna’s backing of Ahmed — but the picture is incomplete. Comprehensive fundraising breakdowns are not available in the provided materials, and there is no robust public polling to test name recognition or issue salience in these crowded fields. Petition signatures are due in early November and must be certified before ballots are set, leaving the final candidate lists unsettled, according to the [Chicago Tribune]. Those gaps matter: money, message and math (who actually makes the ballot) will determine whether early momentum translates into an organizing advantage by primary day.

The broader ripple effect

The openings in the 2nd and 8th are a direct byproduct of the Senate race, which has rearranged political ambitions and party resources statewide. As Axios reported, Durbin’s retirement set off a “seismic shift,” elevating local leaders into federal contests and creating downstream scrambles that will shape the bench for years. In the 7th and 9th, retirements are prompting generational change — with candidates ranging from progressive newcomers to seasoned legislators — and underscoring how endorsements (Davis backing Ford) and organization may decide pluralities in multi-candidate primaries, the [Chicago Tribune] noted.

For now, the campaign trail is defined by clipboards and doorsteps. Candidates are racing to qualify for the ballot and build the coalitions they’ll need when votes are cast on March 17. With polling scarce, finance snapshots incomplete and petitions still to be certified, the primaries are poised to turn on ground games and late breaks — a fitting climax to a year when one Senate decision reshaped the map below it, according to Associated Press, Axios and the [Chicago Tribune].