Illinois' 9th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 17 Democratic primary)
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| Illinois' 9th Congressional District |
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| 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 |
Kat Abughazaleh (D), Daniel K. Biss (D), Laura Fine (D), and 14 others are running in the Democratic primary for Illinois' 9th Congressional District on March 17, 2026. As of December 2025, Abughazaleh, Biss, and Fine led in fundraising and polling.
Incumbent Jan Schakowsky (D) is not running for re-election. As of December 2025, major election forecasters rated the general election Solid Democratic. This is the first election in the 9th District without an incumbent on the ballot since Schakowsky was first elected in 1998. Axios' Justin Kaufmann said the primary "could pave the way for younger Democrats to take over the district that traditionally skews left."[1]
Abughazaleh is a former researcher and video producer with Media Matters for America, a group describing itself as "a web-based, not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3) progressive research and information center."[2][3] Abghazaleh says she is running "because the same old sh** isn't working — and it won't work to defeat Trump's agenda."[4] Abughazaleh said that "I've fought fascists before as a citizen, union rep, and independent journalist. Now, I'm going to do the same in Congress."[5]
Biss is the mayor of Evanston and a former state legislator. Biss ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018. Biss says he is running "because we need Democrats who won't flinch, won't fold, won't forget what we're fighting for."[6] Biss' campaign website says he "has built coalitions and brought people together to solve problems that have gone unaddressed for too long...Daniel continues to stand up to Donald Trump on immigration, preserving access to abortion, expanding mental health services, and more."[7]
Fine was elected to the Illinois Senate in 2018. Fine served six years in the Illinois House and worked in journalism. Fine says she is running "to continue her fight to make sure Illinois continues to have a champion in Washington that stands up for families, not special interests."[8] Fine's campaign website says: "For Laura, every bill, every battle, and every victory is personal – because she knows what it’s like to be the person counting on a system that too often says no."[9]
Also running in the primary are Bushra Amiwala (D), Phil Andrew (D), Natalie Angelo (D), Patricia Brown (D), Jeff Cohen (D), Justin Ford (D), Mark Fredrickson (D), Hoan Huynh (D), Bethany Johnson (D), Bruce Leon (D), Sam Polan (D), Nick Pyati (D), Howard Rosenblum (D), and Mike Simmons (D).
In the 2024 election, Schakowsky defeated Seth Alan Cohen (D) 68%–32%.
Kat Abughazaleh (D), Bushra Amiwala (D), Phil Andrew (D), Justin Ford (D), Mark Fredrickson (D), Bethany Johnson (D), Bruce Leon (D), Sam Polan (D), Nick Pyati (D), and Howard Rosenblum (D) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.
This page focuses on Illinois' 9th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Illinois' 9th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 17 Republican primary)
- Illinois' 9th Congressional District election, 2026
Candidates and election results
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9
The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on March 17, 2026.
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 = 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
- Miracle Jenkins (D)
- Jill Manrique (D)
- David Abrevaya (D)
- Tamika La'Shon Hill (D)
- Jan Schakowsky (D)
- Lauren Million (D)
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Illinois
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
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "My name is Kat Abughazaleh. I'm a researcher and journalist who has devoted my career to fighting the far-right. I've worked for outlets like Media Matters, Mother Jones, and Zeteo News, but I'm probably best known for my video explainers about Fox News and right-wing media on my personal social media accounts. I decided to run for Congress because I don't think Democrats are doing enough to stand against fascism, to make billionaires pay their fair share, and to protect the working class. And unfortunately, our leadership in the House of Representatives refuses to acknowledge the true impact that the far-right, the Internet, and working class struggles have on our country — and that's part of the reason Democrats keep losing elections. I'm trying to run a progressive grassroots campaign that I can be proud of. I'm not taking a cent of corporate cash and I'm trying to spend our money in ways that help people now, rather than waiting to make a difference in my community until I'm elected. By making our events engaging, centered around mutual aid, and accessible to everyone no matter their income, my campaign is showing our values rather than providing lip service with nothing to show for it. In my spare time, I like reading space operas, doing crafts like embroidery and knitting with my friends, and hanging out with my partner, Ben, and our cat, Heater."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in Rogers Park, listening to my father’s stories of selling eggs in Pakistan at age three, proud he could bring home cracked ones so his sisters could eat. Years later, I realized our own eggs came from SNAP benefits. We felt deeply blessed for the life we had, simply by being born and raised in the United States. That gratitude stayed with me as I grew up in Skokie, attended local schools, and later made history as the youngest elected official in the country, serving seven years on the Skokie School Board. My earliest memories include taking the Yellow Line from Skokie to Rogers Park to volunteer at A Just Harvest as a teenager, building connections that have lasted more than a decade. After graduating from Niles West, I earned my bachelor’s at DePaul and MBA at Northwestern, right here in IL-09. This district shaped me—from Rogers Park to Evanston, Skokie to Glenview—not as dots on a map, but as communities I’ve worked, served, and led. My values—integrity, compassion, and collective uplift—come from lived experience, not abstraction. I stepped into leadership not for a spotlight, but to close the gap between what my community deserved and what they were getting. Public service to me means showing up when no one’s watching, bridging divides, and leading with empathy. Leadership is about proximity to pain and responsibility to hope—rooted in community and courageous enough to disrupt the status quo."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I’m Phil Andrew and I’m running for Congress to bring principled, compassionate and mission-driven leadership to Illinois’ 9th District. I grew up here. I am a survivor of gun violence, which informed my leap into public service as an FBI special agent and hostage negotiator. I remain determined to turn that tragedy into something positive to keep all our communities safe. My experience has taught me about resilience and the power of teamwork and being a force for what’s right, good and just in our community. Meaningful change starts with listening. I have spent my life working to solve problems and bring people together. Real leadership isn’t about noise; it’s about results. It’s about living your values in service of others. Protecting our rights and creating opportunities that help every family thrive. Enough is enough. Our nation is in crisis. We’re building a team right here in District 9—ready to work together and deliver real results. From advancing gun safety to protecting our personal rights, to ensuring affordable healthcare and expanding access to good-paying jobs, our district can lead the way. Together, we’ll drive the forward-thinking solutions our community, our democracy, and our country need—now and for the future. We are ready for the fight. Join our team!"
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Mayor of Evanston (Assumed office: 2021)
- Illinois Senate (2013–2019)
- Illinois House of Representatives (2011–2013)
Biography: Biss obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University and a doctorate in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Biss worked as a math professor at the University of Chicago before entering elected politics.
Show sources
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Illinois Senate (Assumed office: 2019)
- Illinois House of Representatives (2013–2019)
Biography: Fine graduated from Indiana University and worked in broadcasting before taking a teaching job at Northeastern Illinois University. Fine later left her teaching job and obtained an insurance license.
Show sources
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I’m Justin Ford, a lifelong advocate for working people and a Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in Illinois’s 9th District. I was born in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to a teacher and a judge, raised with a strong sense of fairness, dignity, and public service. I’ve lived in Andersonville for over a decade, raised two sons, and worked to protect people’s health, safety, and rights on the job. I’ve helped organize workers, supported unions, and built a career in public health as a Certified Industrial Hygienist—focusing on protecting people in workplaces, schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods across the country. I’m running because too many working families are being left behind while corporate power grows unchecked. It’s time for bold structural reforms, like a four-day work week, real climate action, and rebuilding the labor movement, to build an economy and a democracy that actually work for all of us"
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "My future constituents will find me to be among the best prepared of all of the seventeen Democratic Primary Election candidates. I was 9ne of only a very few to endorse the incumbent Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky in 1998–as a precinct captain to the Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party. In our youth, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky & I palled around in my Danville, Illinois hometown. She taught me about the ERA, EPA & the Vietnam War. Jan married my fellow Danville High School alumnus Robert Creamer. I’m the only candidate who shared the Democratic Primary Election ballot with Barack Obama & Rahm Israel Emanuel. That campaign enlightened me to the substantive issues which should serve me well. In the depths of the Great Recession, I learned about how to be compassionate to those evicted from their homes. More recently, I helped feed impoverished senior citizens in the building where I live on the Chicago Lakeshore campus of Loyola University. Like the Jesuit missionaries who preceded me, I have petitioned in every quarter of the Ninth Congressional District. When I meet a new acquaintance, they appear to keep an open mind about my affiliation & are not surprised when I introduce myself as favorably influencing virtuous young men & women. That gives me the unique opportunity to ingratiate myself to Congressional leaders to the future benefit of my constituents."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I came to this district as a trans youth living out of my van, looking for safety and a future. I built a life and career here, becoming the first trans woman to play roller derby in Chicago. After some time away traveling the country and completing my college degree, I returned five years ago with my husband - because we knew this was where we wanted to build our life together. I was forced to drop out of college in my early 20s when my parents discovered I was trans. But in 2016, I returned to Springfield, Missouri, and earned my Bachelor of Science in Theatre with a minor in Computer Science. I was told it couldn’t be done in a year, but I proved them wrong. During that time, I also fought for LGBTQ+ rights in Springfield, and later became the Data Manager for Senator Angus King’s 2018 re-election campaign. Since then, I’ve worked in data engineering and implementation roles, continuing to use my skills to support progressive causes. I’m running because my friends, neighbors, and family know how deeply I care about this district - and because I’m tired of seeing out-of-state influencers and career politicians try to decide what’s best for us. This district deserves someone who understands it firsthand, who’s already been doing the work without chasing clout or power. I’m not here to build a brand, I’m here to fight for the people who live and work in this district. I’ve been doing that for years, not for recognition, but because it’s the right thing to do."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I’m Bruce Leon, a lifelong Chicagoan, small business owner, and problem-solver who believes politics should be about people, not partisanship. I built my business from the ground up, creating good jobs and helping working families access affordable health care. I’m running for Congress because I’m tired of the shouting and finger-pointing that’s replaced real problem-solving in Washington. I want to bring people together to get things done, the same way we do in business and community life every day."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "Sam is a Wilmette native and Special Operations Veteran who deployed to the Middle East three times and rose to the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army. He served first with Army Air Defense, before passing one of the military’s most demanding selection processes to become an Airborne-qualified Special Operations Civil Affairs Officer. In Sam’s new role, he learned Arabic and completed multiple deployments with SEAL teams as part of a Joint Special Warfare task force. “I’m running for Congress because I am deeply concerned about the direction this country is headed under the Trump Administration and the failures of our current national Democratic leadership,” said Polan. “More than deeply concerned… I’m angry. I learned early on you don’t leave problems for other people. I don’t know how to bury my head in the sand, or how to sit idly by when Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans threaten our very democracy and all the institutions we hold dear, that I was driven to defend in uniform.” “We are at an inflection point where our Democratic leaders have also failed us… failed to stop the Trump attacks, failed to put up candidates with fresh ideas that excite voters, and failed to provide a clear vision. Democrats need to WIN again. We can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. We need a new generation of leadership that brings not only fresh ideas, but the life experience and ability to get things done.”"
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I’ve taught public school in New York City with Teach for America, prosecuted corporate crimes in President Obama’s Justice Department, and led strategy for major products at Microsoft. I’ve always been driven by a belief that things can be better - and an impatience to get there. Since November, that impatience has been growing. I’ve watched the wreckage of this administration pile up, and have been waiting for the Democratic Party–my party since before I could vote–to lead. Now, I'm running for Congress because it’s clear that we need new leadership and a new approach. That’s why I’m offering a clear vision for the future, focused on renewing the American dream, building the future, and fighting for freedom–all deeply informed by my experience. I was born and raised in the Chicago area and now live in Evanston with my wife and our sons. School and work have taken me around the country, but this has always been home. Our country desperately needs leadership now, and I know our district is up to the challenge."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I am a Deaf civil rights lawyer with over 30 years of experience advocating for equal access. My career has combined 20 years of litigation in Illinois and 13 years of national leadership in disability rights, focusing on systemic change through law, policy, and public advocacy. My work has included landmark cases, such as requiring Netflix to provide captions on streaming content, holding Harvard and MIT accountable for website accessibility, reversing harmful USDA accommodation policies, and ensuring President Trump provided sign language interpreters at public briefings. I am running for Congress to continue this fight for civil rights and equal access for all Americans, and to make history as the first Deaf member of the U.S. House of Representative."
Campaign ads
This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.
Kat Abughazaleh
View more ads here:
Daniel K. Biss
View more ads here:
Laura Fine
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Laura Fine while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
Endorsements
Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[10] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[11] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
Below we provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval. Know of something we're missing? Click here to let us know.
| Poll | Dates | Abughazaleh | Amiwala | Andrew | Biss | Fine | Huynh | Leon | Simmons | Someone else | Other | Undecided | Sample size | Margin of error | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
– | 17 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | -- | 21 | 500 LV | ± 4.4% | Daniel Biss | |
– | 18 | 6 | -- | 18 | 10 | 5 | -- | 6 | -- | 6 | 31 | 569 LV | ± 4.0% | ||
| Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters. | |||||||||||||||
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[12]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[13][14][15]
| Race ratings: Illinois' 9th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 1/6/2026 | 12/23/2025 | 12/16/2025 | 12/9/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Campaign finance
Candidate spending
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kat Abughazaleh | Democratic Party | $1,524,729 | $512,454 | $1,012,275 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Bushra Amiwala | Democratic Party | $642,187 | $159,962 | $482,225 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Phil Andrew | Democratic Party | $726,035 | $78,297 | $647,738 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Natalie Angelo | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Daniel K. Biss | Democratic Party | $1,325,884 | $315,616 | $1,010,268 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Patricia Brown | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Jeff Cohen | Democratic Party | $430,772 | $34,295 | $396,477 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Laura Fine | Democratic Party | $660,741 | $181,543 | $479,198 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Justin Ford | Democratic Party | $24,803 | $24,079 | $724 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Mark Fredrickson | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Hoan Huynh | Democratic Party | $363,957 | $162,179 | $201,779 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Bethany Johnson | Democratic Party | $2,324 | $370 | $1,954 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Bruce Leon | Democratic Party | $893,095 | $77,645 | $815,450 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Sam Polan | Democratic Party | $343,412 | $36,942 | $306,470 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Nick Pyati | Democratic Party | $252,931 | $96,282 | $156,649 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Howard Rosenblum | Democratic Party | $75,242 | $2,838 | $72,404 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Mike Simmons | Democratic Party | $211,694 | $77,042 | $134,651 | As of September 30, 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." |
|||||
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[16][17][18]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
|---|---|
Note: As of December 9, 2025, Natalie Angelo (D), Patricia Brown (D), and Mark Fredrickson (D) had not filed as candidates with the Federal Election Commission.
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.
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+19. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 19 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Illinois' 9th the 63rd most Democratic district nationally.[19]
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  |
|---|---|
| 68.0% | 31.0% |
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 | J.B. Pritzker |
| Lieutenant Governor | Juliana Stratton |
| Secretary of State | Alexi Giannoulias |
| Attorney General | Kwame Raoul |
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 |
District election history
2024
See also: Illinois' 9th Congressional District election, 2024
Illinois' 9th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Republican primary)
Illinois' 9th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Illinois District 9
Incumbent Jan Schakowsky defeated Seth Alan Cohen in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jan Schakowsky (D) | 68.4 | 231,722 |
 | Seth Alan Cohen (R) | 31.6 | 107,106 | |
| Total votes: 338,828 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9
Incumbent Jan Schakowsky advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jan Schakowsky | 100.0 | 75,106 |
| Total votes: 75,106 | |||
| = 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
- Michael Donahue (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9
No candidate advanced from the primary.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| Michael Walters (Write-in) | 100.0 | 57 | ||
Vote totals may be incomplete for this race. | ||||
| Total votes: 57 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Illinois District 9
Incumbent Jan Schakowsky defeated Max Rice in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jan Schakowsky (D) | 71.7 | 179,615 |
 | Max Rice (R) | 28.3 | 70,915 | |
| Total votes: 250,530 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9
Incumbent Jan Schakowsky advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jan Schakowsky | 100.0 | 76,956 |
| Total votes: 76,956 | |||
| = 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
- Andrew Heldut (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9
Max Rice advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Max Rice | 100.0 | 22,751 |
| Total votes: 22,751 | |||
| = 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
- Bradley Martin (R)
- John Elleson (R)
2020
General election
General election for U.S. House Illinois District 9
Incumbent Jan Schakowsky defeated Sargis Sangari in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jan Schakowsky (D) | 71.0 | 262,045 |
 | Sargis Sangari (R) | 29.0 | 107,125 | |
| Total votes: 369,170 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9
Incumbent Jan Schakowsky defeated Andrew Heldut (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jan Schakowsky | 99.7 | 127,467 |
 | Andrew Heldut (Unofficially withdrew) (Write-in) | 0.3 | 355 | |
| Total votes: 127,822 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9
Sargis Sangari defeated Richard Mayers in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sargis Sangari | 100.0 | 11,808 |
| Richard Mayers (Write-in) | 0.0 | 1 | ||
| Total votes: 11,809 | |||
| = 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
- Michael Sollich (R)
Earlier results
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2018 General electionGeneral election for U.S. House Illinois District 9Incumbent Jan Schakowsky defeated John Elleson in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on November 6, 2018.
Democratic primary electionDemocratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9Incumbent Jan Schakowsky advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on March 20, 2018.
Republican primary electionRepublican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9John Elleson defeated Sargis Sangari, D. Vincent Thomas Jr., and Max Rice in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 9 on March 20, 2018.
2016 Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Janice Schakowsky (D) defeated Joan McCarthy Lasonde (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary opponent on March 15, 2016.[20][21] David Earl Williams III ran as a write-in candidate.
2014 The 9th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Janice Schakowsky (D) defeated challenger Susanne Atanus (R) in the general election.
General election candidates
The 9th Congressional District of Illinois held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Jan Schakowsky won re-election in the district.[25]
2010
2008
2006
2004
2002
2000
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Ballot access requirements
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 |
2026 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This is a battleground election. Other 2026 battleground elections include:
- Arizona's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
- California's 22nd Congressional District election, 2026
- Kentucky Supreme Court elections, 2026
See also
- Illinois' 9th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 17 Republican primary)
- Illinois' 9th 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
- ↑ Axios, "Schakowsky's potential exit opens door for young Dems," May 2, 2025
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Kat A.," accessed December 12, 2025
- ↑ Media Matters for America, "About Us," accessed December 12, 2025
- ↑ Kat Abughazaleh campaign website, "About," accessed December 12, 2025
- ↑ Kat Abughazaleh campaign website, "Home page," accessed December 17, 2025
- ↑ YouTube, "Let's do this – Biss campaign advertisement," May 14, 2025
- ↑ Daniel K. Biss campaign website, "About," accessed December 17, 2025
- ↑ Laura Fine campaign website, "Meet Laura," accessed December 12, 2025
- ↑ Laura Fine campaign website, "Meet Laura," accessed December 17, 2025
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed November 30, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Illinois Primary Results," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Email submission to Ballotpedia by campaign, January 13, 2013
- ↑ Illinois Election Division, "David Earl Williams, III," accessed December 2, 2013
- ↑ Illinois Election Division, "Susanne Atanus," accessed December 2, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Illinois"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000," accessed March 28, 2013
