Illinois' 9th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 17 Democratic primary)

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Illinois' 9th 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. Voting in Illinois
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic 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
Illinois' 9th Congressional District 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 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House raceArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House raceFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House raceOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House raceTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House raceVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House raceSubmit

A Democratic Party primary takes place on March 17, 2026, in Illinois' 9th 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
November 3, 2025	March 17, 2026	November 3, 2026

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.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

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.

		Candidate
		Kat Abughazaleh
		Bushra Amiwala
		Phil Andrew
	Submit photo	Natalie Angelo
		Daniel K. Biss
	Submit photo	Patricia Brown
		Jeff Cohen
		Laura Fine
		Justin Ford
		Mark Fredrickson
		Hoan Huynh
		Bethany Johnson
	Submit photo	Bruce Leon
		Sam Polan
		Nick Pyati
		Howard Rosenblum
		Mike Simmons

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Miracle Jenkins (D)
• Jill Manrique (D)
• David Abrevaya (D)
• Tamika La'Shon Hill (D)
• Jan Schakowsky (D)
• Lauren Million (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.

Kat Abughazaleh

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."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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ANTI-AUTHORITARIANISM Donald Trump, tech billionaires, and the Republican Party have banded together to break this country. Their vision is fascist, one of a militarized country where only a few dozen rich men have a seat at the table. We will not and cannot let them win. The Democratic strategy of cowering to this administration is not only morally reprehensible but it also won't work. Every authoritarian movement has shown us the only way to stand up to fascism is loudly, proudly, and every single day. I have been doing that for my entire career thus far, and I won't stop in Congress. I will speak out, use what I have to slow this administration wherever possible. And I will make sure my constituents know they are not alone.

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BASIC EXISTENCE My bold vision is that every American should be able to afford housing, healthcare, and groceries with money left over to save and spend (crazy, right?). This should be the lowest bar possible and it is for many of our peer countries. But in the United States, that idea is considered by many, particularly the richest and most powerful, to be a pipe dream. Our existence isn't merely a means of profit for the richest people in society. These ideas shouldn't be controversial and are at the very core of my campaign. We're often told that it's a lot more complicated than we think but it doesn't have to be. We deserve to thrive, not just survive — and every political leader should work towards that goal.

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DEMOCRATIC REFORM Our democracy is broken. Our current system functions too much on greed, rewards stagnation, and disincentivizes change. That's why we need a serious overhaul of our electoral system. We must overturn the Supreme Court's egregious Citizens United ruling and depoliticize the Court by instituting a binding code of ethics and 18-year term limits. Congress also must be overhauled. We need to talk seriously about multi-member districts, expanding the House, and ranked-choice voting, as well as federal rules against gerrymandering. And as soon as possible, there must be a federal ban on members of Congress trading individual stocks, regulations against lobbying after leaving office, and enforcement of both.

Bushra Amiwala

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."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Making sure our taxpayer dollars don’t kill people. Our taxpayer dollars shouldn’t fund humanitarian crises. The numbers of lives lost in Israel's assault on Gaza is unaccountable—because entire families, entire blocks, have been wiped off the map. Our government and property taxes paid for it. The violence abroad has also wreaked devastation at home. While billions of dollars are funneled into the war effort, people in Illinois are struggling with unaffordable healthcare, medical debt, underfunded schools, food insecurity, housing instability and ballooning student loans. These are not separate issues—they are intertwined. In Congress, I will make sure our tax dollars should be building safer lives here, not destroying lives abroad.

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Making education—without debt—accessible for all. The United States spends $850 billion every year on the military while our schools are left scrambling for resources. That isn’t right, and it calls for a massive reallocation of government spending.Our education system should be a pathway to opportunity, not debt. I support making public colleges tuition-free and canceling existing student loan debt. Student debt isn’t just an individual burden—it’s a community crisis holding back working families and suppressing economic mobility. We must cancel the debt. Doing so would inject up to $108 billion into the economy each year and create over a million jobs. It’s an economic imperative and a moral necessity that I will fight for in Washington.

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Ensuring universal access to healthcare. I believe healthcare is a human right, not a privilege. I support a single payer universal healthcare system at the federal level because no one should be uninsured in the most prosperous country on earth. In Congress, I will work to guarantee healthcare for every person in the U.S.—regardless of income, immigration status, employment, or zip code. To me, Medicare for All is not just a political slogan; it is the morally superior, fiscally responsible policy to create the healthcare system Americans need and deserve.

Phil Andrew

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!"

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Principled Leadership. We’ve seen the cost of chaos. It’s time to stop the bleeding and restore strategic, principled leadership. Phil Andrew brings integrity, clarity, and real crisis-tested experience to meet the moment and lead us forward—together.

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Gun Violence Prevention and Public Safety. Every family deserves to feel safe. Phil will advance comprehensive, evidence-based, and holistic public safety strategies that go beyond slogans and deliver real results—honoring victims with action, not rhetoric.

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Economic Security and Opportunity. Phil believes in a fair economy where everyone has the opportunity to earn, grow, and contribute. He’ll fight for smart policies and collaborative implementation that create sustainable economic growth and jobs, support small businesses, innovation, climate resilience, healthcare coverage, and reflect the real cost of living, educating and supporting families in our district.

Justin Ford

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"

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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A four-day work week isn’t just possible—it’s necessary. It’s time to give people their time back, boost productivity, and build an economy that works for working families.

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Real climate action creates jobs. We need to invest in a carbon-negative, storm-resilient future; powered by union labor, clean energy, and smart public infrastructure.

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Rebuild the labor movement to rebuild the middle class. That means stronger unions, higher wages, safer workplaces, and policies that put people—not corporations—at the center of our economy.

Mark Fredrickson

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."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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One must exhibit compassion to listen & have the courage to lead through these tumultuous times.

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The Democratic Party must extend its reach as preached by my congressional ballot associate—Rahm Israel Emanuel.

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Investing in future economic growth should be one of the leading priorities.

Bethany Johnson

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."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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A constituent's office that works for you, not me. A key duty of a U.S. Representative is helping constituents navigate federal agencies -from Social Security to Veterans' services. I’ll make constituent services a top priority, with an open, accessible office staffed by social workers and at least one attorney. We'll also partner with local law schools to bring in student interns and expand our capacity to serve the community.

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Real consequences for masked ICE agents. I believe Federal Law Enforcement must be fully accountable to the public. Officers who hide their identities while performing duties undermine democratic oversight. I will push for Congressional investigations into these practices and work to ensure those who violate public trust face real consequences, including dismissal and loss of pension where appropriate.

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More for working families and less for the rich. I believe in higher taxes on the wealthy and a government that focuses less on the wants of the rich and more on the needs of working families, the poor, and the struggling. We need to tax the rich and invest in everyone else.

Sam Polan

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.”"

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Defend the Constitution and the rule of law

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Restore and defend civil liberties

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Building an equitable path to the American Dream

Nick Pyati

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."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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In the last century, America led the world. We beat back autocrats, built a thriving middle class, invented new industries, and advanced civil rights. Now, many Americans feel we’ve lost our way. Those triumphs are a distant memory, and our sense of shared purpose is fading. We need leaders who can meet this moment with ambition and clarity, but Democrats haven’t delivered. We’ve paid the price with voters and allowed a disastrous era to continue. We urgently need a new path. If we cling to ideas that have failed for a decade, we’ll keep losing. If we offer a vision for a stronger, fairer, and freer nation, we can inspire the country and build a winning majority. That vision is a New American Century. America can lead again.

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We Must: Reverse this administration’s attacks on education and preserve funding for public schools Invest in alternative skill pathways, like flexible degree programs and certificates, and give employers incentives to hire candidates who use them Invest in research and programs to give all students AI literacy and readiness End tariffs and other policies that needlessly drive up costs Reform our tax code to shift the burden off middle-class families Reduce barriers to increasing supply of housing and other critical necessities Reverse cruel cuts to Medicaid, strengthen and stabilize Social Security, and pass Medicare for All Advance policies like paid parental leave that help Americans take care of themselves and their loved ones

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We Must: Reinstate and expand federal research funding, and protect science from politics Invest in critical and emerging industries to fuel America’s competitiveness Give scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs from all over the world the incentive to discover and build in America End restrictive trade practices that hobble the American economy Strengthen trade relationships to ensure American companies have access to the world’s markets Vigorously enforce antitrust law to drive competition and give small and innovative companies a chance to win Experiment with new ways for the public to participate in steering innovation, particularly in high-stakes fields like AI

Howard Rosenblum

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."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Restore the rule of law and the Constitution to prevent further abuses of power

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Rewrite stronger civil rights protection and enforcement for all Americans, particularly those who have been marginalized

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Reconstruct federal agencies and critically needed programs and services

Voting information

See also: Voting in Illinois

Election information in Illinois: March 17, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Feb. 17, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by Feb. 17, 2026
• Online: March 1, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: March 16, 2026
• By mail: Received by March 12, 2026
• Online: March 12, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: March 17, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by March 17, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Feb. 5, 2026 to March 16, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (CT)

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. 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." 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.

Illinois' 9th Congressional District Democratic primary, 2026 polls

Poll	Dates	Abughazaleh	Amiwala	Andrew	Biss	Fine	Huynh	Leon	Simmons	Someone else	Other	Undecided	Sample size	Margin of error	Sponsor
Impact Research	Nov. 4, 2025–Nov. 9, 2025	17	3	3	31	10	4	2	6	2	--	21	500 LV	± 4.4%	Daniel Biss
Data for Progress	Oct. 29, 2025–Nov. 3, 2025	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.

Campaign finance

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." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

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' 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

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Footnotes

[show]

Illinois' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tammy Duckworth (D)

Dick Durbin (D)

Representatives

District 1

Jonathan Jackson (D)

District 2

Robin Kelly (D)

District 3

Delia Ramirez (D)

District 4

Jesus Garcia (D)

District 5

Mike Quigley (D)

District 6

Sean Casten (D)

District 7

Danny Davis (D)

District 8

Raja Krishnamoorthi (D)

District 9

Jan Schakowsky (D)

District 10

Brad Schneider (D)

District 11

Bill Foster (D)

District 12

Mike Bost (R)

District 13

Nikki Budzinski (D)

District 14

Lauren Underwood (D)

District 15

Mary Miller (R)

District 16

Darin LaHood (R)

District 17

Eric Sorensen (D)

Democratic Party (16)

Republican Party (3)

2025-2026 Elections to the United States Congress

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House by State

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Election information

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates • List of candidates running for election • List of congressional challengers • Retiring senators • Retiring representatives

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Ballotpedia

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Executive: Leslie Graves, Founder and CEO • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer

Communications: Alison Graves, Director of Communications • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Frank Festa • Sarah Groat • Nathaniel Harwood • Dillon Redmond
External Relations: Geoff Pallay, Director of External Relations • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Ashley Fleming • Thomas Mardik • Hannah Nelson
Operations: Meghann Olshefski, Director of Operations • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
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Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

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Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams, Managing Editor of Events • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Victoria Edwards • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Ellie Mikus • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox