Illinois' 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 17 Democratic primary)
|
← 2024
|
| Illinois' 8th Congressional District |
|---|
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: November 3, 2025 |
| Primary: March 17, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th Illinois elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
A Democratic Party primary takes place on March 17, 2026, in Illinois' 8th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Illinois, state law provides for a closed primary where a voter must be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. However, voters state their affiliation at the polls and any voter may change their affiliation on the day of the primary. A voter's eligibility to vote a party's ballot may be challenged.[1]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
This is one of 51 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year in which an incumbent is not running for re-election. Across the country, 21 Democrats and 30 Republicans are not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.
This page focuses on Illinois' 8th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Illinois' 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 17 Republican primary)
- Illinois' 8th Congressional District election, 2026
Candidates and election results
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8
The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 8 on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Junaid Ahmed | ||
Yasmeen Bankole ![]() | ||
| Melissa Bean | ||
| Sanjyot Dunung | ||
Neil Khot ![]() | ||
Kevin Morrison ![]() | ||
Dan Tully ![]() | ||
| Ryan Vetticad | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joseph Wentzel (D)
- Christ Kallas (D)
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "I am a lifelong public servant, with deep roots in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. The child of a librarian, I worked at the Schaumburg Township District Library for over a decade. Serving Schaumburg area residents was my first foray into public service. Most recently, I served as Regional Director to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin for nearly 6 years where I oversaw the Senator’s affairs and congressional outreach throughout Northern IL. Previously, I also served as a congressional aide in the Office of Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. I am currently an elected Trustee in the Village of Hanover Park. In 2021, upon becoming elected, I became the only Nigerian-American elected official in the state of Illinois and, at 27-years-old, the youngest elected trustee in the history of my village. Among my key accomplishments are the creation of the Water Bill Fee discount program, which has created utility bill savings for seniors and working families with limited incomes, and working with community stakeholders and organized labor to pass a Responsible Bidder Ordinance which ensures that taxpayer funds used for publicly funded projects only go to qualified contractors, protect union workers' rights and benefits, and keep them safe on the job."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "I was born in a small town in India and was raised by a single mother. In my 20s, I moved to America with 300 dollars and a dream of being able to start my own business. Now, I am proud to have my own business with over 200 employees in the 8th district and beyond. I am running for Congress, not as a career politician, but as an outsider who will bring fresh ideas to Washington."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "I was born in Chicago and raised in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. I graduated from Conant High School in 2009. I attended DePaul University as an undergraduate, where I studied political science, environmental science, and LGBTQ studies, and graduated in 2013. In college I became an environmental activist, and went on to work on a number of local campaigns. I worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, and then began working for Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. In 2018, I became the youngest ever, and first openly LGBTQ Commissioner, as well as the first Democrat to represent the 15th District when I was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners. In doing so, I defeated a twelve year incumbent who served as the Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. I am currently serving my second term after my re-election in 2022. On the board, I spearheaded the creation of the Cook County Department of Mental and Behavioral Health, as well as the Cook County Small Business Source. I was a lead sponsor in the repeal of Cook County’s Wheel Tax, the creation of an annually renewing $100 million Disaster Relief Fund, the Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance, and making reproductive health a protected class for 5.2 million people. In 2024, I graduated with a Juris Doctorate from UIC Law School, and passed the BAR exam in February 2025. In May 2025, I was sworn in as an attorney, and one week later announced a bid for Congress."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "A veteran, attorney, and former civil servant, Dan Tully is running for Congress because our constitution, our freedom, and our democracy are threatened by a president who doesn’t think the rules apply to him and by a Republican Congress that refuses to stand up to him. Dan’s parents were Cook County Hospital nurses who instilled in him the values of keeping your word and serving others. Their lessons, love, and support helped propel Dan from the western suburbs where he was raised to graduate from both Northwestern and the University of Chicago, earn his law degree from Stanford, and join the military. Dan served eight and a half years as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve, including over three and a half years on active duty. While deployed to Iraq, Dan advised commanders on operations to defeat ISIS. At Fort Bragg, Dan served in the headquarters of the Green Berets to facilitate intelligence investigations and supported the 82nd Airborne Division. Dan assisted in the Army’s efforts to accelerate planning for large-scale combat operations at Army Futures Command, and he also served in the military’s U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Later, while working as a civil servant at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Dan continued the work of countering China’s influence in foreign markets. Dan took a stand by leaving the by leaving the administration that no longer enabled him to honor the oath he swore to support and defend our nation."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Illinois
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junaid Ahmed | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Yasmeen Bankole | Democratic Party | $447,367 | $326,552 | $120,815 | As of February 25, 2026 |
| Melissa Bean | Democratic Party | $1,642,588 | $1,233,975 | $408,613 | As of February 25, 2026 |
| Sanjyot Dunung | Democratic Party | $362,734 | $343,368 | $19,366 | As of February 25, 2026 |
| Neil Khot | Democratic Party | $1,983,578 | $1,814,812 | $168,766 | As of February 25, 2026 |
| Kevin Morrison | Democratic Party | $626,020 | $565,978 | $60,041 | As of February 25, 2026 |
| Dan Tully | Democratic Party | $705,085 | $453,371 | $251,714 | As of February 25, 2026 |
| Ryan Vetticad | Democratic Party | $121,561 | $31,404 | $90,157 | As of December 31, 2025 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
|||||
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Illinois.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Illinois in 2026. Information below was calculated on Nov. 3, 2025, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
One hundred five candidates — 69 Democrats and 36 Republicans — ran for Illinois’ 17 U.S. House districts. That’s 6.2 candidates per district. There were 2.7 candidates per district in 2024, 5.6 in 2022, 4.1 in 2020, 4.4 in 2018, 2.7 in 2016, and 2.8 in 2014.
This was the highest total number of candidates who ran for the U.S. House since 2014.
Five districts were open in 2026. There were no districts open in 2024, four in 2022, one in 2020, one in 2018, one in 2016, and none in 2014. Reps. Jesus Garcia (D-4th), Danny K. Davis (D-7th), and Jan Schakowsky (D-9th) retired from public office. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-8th) and Robin Kelly (D-2nd) ran for the U.S. Senate.
Twenty primaries — nine Democratic and 11 Republican — were contested in 2026. In total, there were 11 contested primaries in 2024, 19 in 2022, 21 in 2020, 20 in 2018, 14 in 2016, and nine in 2014.
Twenty candidates — 16 Democrats and four Republicans — ran for the open 9th district, the most candidates that ran for a district in 2026.
Five incumbents — four Democrats and one Republican — faced primary challengers in 2026. There were five incumbents in a contested primary in 2024, seven in 2022, 10 in 2020, seven in 2018, seven in 2016, and three in 2014.
Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all 17 districts, meaning no districts were guaranteed to either party.Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+5. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 5 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Illinois' 8th the 163rd most Democratic district nationally.[2]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.
| Kamala Harris | Donald Trump |
|---|---|
| 53.0% | 46.0% |
Presidential voting history
- See also: Presidential election in Illinois, 2024
Illinois presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 17 Democratic wins
- 15 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Illinois' congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Illinois | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 14 | 16 |
| Republican | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 17 | 19 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Illinois' top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
State legislature
Illinois State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 40 | |
| Republican Party | 19 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 59 | |
Illinois House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 78 | |
| Republican Party | 40 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 118 | |
Trifecta control
Illinois Party Control: 1992-2025
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas • Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Illinois in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Illinois, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Illinois | U.S. House | Established parties | Not less than .5% (.005) of the qualified primary electors of their party in the congressional district | N/A | 11/3/2025 | Source |
| Illinois | U.S. House | Independents | Not less than 5% nor more than 8% (or 50 more than the minimum, whichever is greater) of the total number of persons who voted at the last regular general election within the congressional district. | N/A | 5/26/2026 | Source |
See also
- Illinois' 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 17 Republican primary)
- Illinois' 8th Congressional District election, 2026
- United States House elections in Illinois, 2026 (March 17 Democratic primaries)
- United States House elections in Illinois, 2026 (March 17 Republican primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2026
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2026
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2026
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2026
External links
Footnotes
