Jimmy Lee Tillman II

Jimmy Lee Tillman II (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Illinois. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on March 17, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Jimmy Lee Tillman II earned a degree from Central State University. Tillman's career experience includes working as an author, historian, and Jimmy Lee Underground Radio Network producer. He founded the Martin Luther King Republicans.^[1]

Elections

2026

General election

The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for U.S. Senate Illinois

Austin Mink, Tyrone Muhammad, and Anthony Smith are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Illinois on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Austin Mink (Independent)
	Submit photo	Tyrone Muhammad (Independent)
	Submit photo	Anthony Smith (Independent)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Illinois

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Illinois on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Steve Botsford
	Submit photo	Awisi Bustos
		Jonathan Dean
		Adam Delgado
		Robin Kelly
		Raja Krishnamoorthi
		Stanley Leavell
	Submit photo	Bryan Maxwell
		Robert Palmer
	Submit photo	Adair Rodriquez
		Kevin Ryan
	Submit photo	Jump Shepherd
		Juliana Stratton

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Dick Durbin (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Illinois

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Illinois on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Panagioti Bartzis
		Doug Bennett
		R. Cary Capparelli
		Casey Chlebek
		John Goodman
		Pamela Denise Long
	Submit photo	Januario Ortega
		Jimmy Lee Tillman II
	Submit photo	Don Tracy

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Illinois

Incumbent Tammy Duckworth defeated Kathy Salvi, Bill Redpath, Lowell Seida, and Connor VlaKancic in the general election for U.S. Senate Illinois on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Tammy Duckworth (D)	56.8	2,329,136
	Kathy Salvi (R)	41.5	1,701,055
	Bill Redpath (L)	1.7	68,671
	Lowell Seida (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	23
	Connor VlaKancic (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	11

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,098,896
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

W. Thomas La Fontaine Olson (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Illinois

Incumbent Tammy Duckworth advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Illinois on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tammy Duckworth	100.0	856,720

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 856,720
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Illinois

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Illinois on June 28, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kathy Salvi	30.2	216,007
	Peggy Hubbard	24.8	177,180
	Matthew Dubiel	12.7	90,538
	Casey Chlebek	10.7	76,213
	Bobby Piton	9.2	65,461
	Anthony Williams	7.4	52,890
	Jimmy Lee Tillman II	5.1	36,342

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 714,631
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

Illinois' 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Democratic primary)

Illinois' 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Incumbent Bobby Rush defeated Philanise White and Ruth Pellegrini in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 1 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Bobby Rush (D)	73.8	239,943
	Philanise White (R)	26.2	85,027
	Ruth Pellegrini (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	153

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 325,123
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Incumbent Bobby Rush defeated Sarah Gad, Robert Emmons Jr., and Ameena Nuur Matthews in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1 on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bobby Rush	71.5	94,863
		Sarah Gad	10.4	13,783
		Robert Emmons Jr.	10.3	13,628
	Submit photo	Ameena Nuur Matthews	7.8	10,409

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 132,683
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Robert Palmer (D)
Darnell Leatherwood (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Philanise White advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1 on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Philanise White	100.0	10,134

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,134
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2018

See also: Illinois' 1st Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Incumbent Bobby Rush defeated Jimmy Lee Tillman II and Thomas Rudbeck in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 1 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Bobby Rush (D)	73.5	189,560
	Jimmy Lee Tillman II (R)	19.8	50,960
	Thomas Rudbeck (Independent)	6.7	17,365

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 257,885 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Incumbent Bobby Rush advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1 on March 20, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bobby Rush	100.0	104,114

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 104,114
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Demond Drummer (D)
Howard Brookins (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Jimmy Lee Tillman II advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1 on March 20, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jimmy Lee Tillman II	100.0	15,389

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 15,389
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Anthony Granata (R)

2016

See also: Illinois' 1st Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Bobby Rush (D) defeated August (O'Neill) Deuser (R) and Tabitha Carson (L write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Rush defeated Patrick Brutus and Howard Brookins in the Democratic primary on March 15, 2016, while Deuser defeated Jimmy Lee Tillman II to win the Republican nomination.^[2]^[3]

**U.S. House, Illinois District 1 General Election, 2016**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Bobby Rush Incumbent	74.1%	234,037
	Republican	August (O'Neill) Deuser	25.9%	81,817
	N/A	Write-in	0%	8
Total Votes				315,862
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

**U.S. House, Illinois District 1 Democratic Primary, 2016**
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Bobby Rush Incumbent	71.4%	128,402
Howard Brookins	19.3%	34,645
Patrick Brutus	9.3%	16,696
Total Votes		179,743
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

**U.S. House, Illinois District 1 Republican Primary, 2016**
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
August Deuser	73.8%	24,584
Jimmy Lee Tillman	26.2%	8,737
Total Votes		33,321
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

2014

See also: Illinois' 1st Congressional District elections, 2014

Tillman ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 1st District. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary on March 18, 2014.^[4] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

**U.S. House, Illinois District 1 General Election, 2014**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Bobby Rush Incumbent	73.1%	162,268
	Republican	Jimmy Lee Tillman	26.9%	59,749
Total Votes				222,017
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections Official Results

2012

See also: Illinois' 1st Congressional District elections, 2012

Tillman ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 1st District. Tillman sought the nomination on the Republican ticket.^[5]^[6] The signature filing deadline was December 27, 2011, and the primary took place on March 20, 2012. Incumbent Bobby Rush won in the Democratic primary. Candidate Donald Peloquin won in the Republican primary, defeating Tillman.^[7]

**U.S. House, Illinois District 1 Republican Primary, 2012**
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Donald Peloquin	69.2%	16,355
Frederick Collins	24.4%	5,773
Jimmy Lee Tillman II	6.4%	1,501
Total Votes		23,629

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

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2022

Jimmy Lee Tillman II did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Jimmy Lee Tillman II did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

The following issues were listed on Tillman's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“

Homeless Youth (12-21): The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless reported in July 2013 that 40,393 children with an additional 6, 449 ages 18-21, are homeless and stay with family or adults Also, an alarming 10,719 youth ages 14-21 are living without any family or adult and some end up on the streets.

Formerly Incarcerated Mothers: 82.5% of women incarcerated in Illinois are mothers. The majority of them were their children sole caretaker before arrest. Upon release they face multiple barriers to reuniting their families, reintegrating back into the community, and obtaining stable employment or decent housing. (Center for Legal Aid to Incarcerated Mothers)

Families in Mental Health Crises: There are many with mental health issues that are going without treatment and families who struggle to find adequate care for their loved ones. Those suffering sometimes find themselves in the criminal justice system or on the streets because services are not available. Over 700,000 of Illinois’s adult residents have a severe mental illness. An estimated 240,000 Illinois Children and Adolescents have a severe emotional disturbance. (U.S. Census 2000; U.S. Center for Mental Health Services)

Economic Empowerment:

Promoting financial support from Angel Investors, Venture Capitalist, local businessmen, and community banks
Examine current government programs and how they relate to small businesses and re-organize,if necessary, to better serve them.
Promote business partnerships between larger corporations and small businesses.
Promote the creation of a federal chartered credit union for the African American community.

^[8]

”

—Jimmy Lee Tillman's campaign website, http://www.jimmylee2dc.com/#!issues/c1flq

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Jimmy Lee Tillman II campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. Senate Illinois	Candidacy Declared primary	$0	N/A**
2022	U.S. Senate Illinois	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2020	U.S. House Illinois District 1	Withdrew primary	$0	N/A**
2018	U.S. House Illinois District 1	Lost general	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. Senate Illinois

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Jimmy Lee Tillman II for United States Senate, "Meet Jimmy Lee," accessed June 27, 2022
↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed November 30, 2015
↑ The New York Times, "Illinois Primary Results," March 15, 2016
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ilushouse
↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed December 27, 2011
↑ Chicago Tribune, "Illinois congressional candidates seek spots on ballot" accessed December 27, 2011
↑ ABC News 7, "Election Results Primary 2012," accessed March 20, 2012 (dead link)
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[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)

[bio-1] Jimmy Lee Tillman II for United States Senate, "Meet Jimmy Lee," accessed June 27, 2022

[2] Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed November 30, 2015

[3] The New York Times, "Illinois Primary Results," March 15, 2016

[ilushouse-4] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ilushouse

[candidates-5] Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed December 27, 2011

[source-6] Chicago Tribune, "Illinois congressional candidates seek spots on ballot" accessed December 27, 2011

[abc-7] ABC News 7, "Election Results Primary 2012," accessed March 20, 2012 (dead link)

[quotedisclaimer-8] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

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Jimmy Lee Tillman II

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Illinois

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Illinois

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Illinois

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Illinois

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Illinois

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Illinois

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

2014

2012

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

2020

2016

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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