Illinois' 2nd Congressional District

Incumbent

Robin Kelly

Assumed office: April 11, 2013

Illinois' 2nd Congressional District in theUnited States House of Representatives is represented byRobin Kelly (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Illinois representatives represented an average of 754,279 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 714,688 residents.

Elections

• 2030
• 2028
• 2026
• 2024
• 2022
• 2020
• 2018

See also: Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2030

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

See also: Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2028

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

See also: Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2026

General election

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

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 2

Ashley Banks (Independent) is running in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Ashley Banks (Independent)

---

	There are noincumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Toni Brown
		Yumeka Brown
		Eric France
		Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.
		Patrick Keating
		Donna Miller
		Sidney Moore
		Robert Peters
		Willie Preston
		Adal Regis
	Submit photo	Bryan Slepicka (Write-in)

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined.
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Robin Kelly (D)
• Jeremy Young (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

Mike Noack (R) is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on March 17, 2026.

		Candidate
		Mike Noack

---

	There are noincumbents in this race.
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Calvin Coleman (R)
• Ashley Ramos (R)

See also: Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 2

IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) defeatedAshley Ramos (R) andMike Vick (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Kelly (D)	67.5	195,777
		Ashley Ramos (R)	32.4	94,004
		Mike Vick (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	33
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0%	29

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 289,843
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Kelly	100.0	56,732

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 56,732
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Curry (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

Ashley Ramos (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ashley Ramos	100.0	20,527

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,527
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 2

IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) defeatedThomas Lynch (R) in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Kelly (D)	65.0	127,650
		Thomas Lynch (R)	35.0	68,761

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 196,411
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Kelly	100.0	56,606

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 56,606
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Toni Brown (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

Thomas Lynch (R) defeatedShane Cultra (R) andAshley Ramos (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Lynch	37.2	10,289
		Shane Cultra	35.7	9,869
		Ashley Ramos	27.2	7,524

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,682
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 2

IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) defeatedTheresa Raborn (R) in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Kelly (D)	78.8	234,896
		Theresa Raborn (R)	21.2	63,142

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 298,038
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) defeatedMarcus Lewis (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Kelly	84.8	94,767
		Marcus Lewis	15.2	16,942

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 111,709
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Morrow (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

Theresa Raborn (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Theresa Raborn	100.0	12,181

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,181
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 2

IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) defeatedDavid Merkle (R) in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Kelly (D)	80.7	183,816
		David Merkle (R)	19.3	43,875

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 227,691 (100% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) defeatedMarcus Lewis (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on March 20, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Kelly	82.1	80,659
		Marcus Lewis	17.9	17,640

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 98,299
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2

David Merkle (R) defeatedPatrick Harmon (R) andJohn Morrow (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 2 on March 20, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Merkle	36.6	4,963
	Submit photo	Patrick Harmon	35.5	4,810
		John Morrow	27.9	3,790

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 13,563
= candidate completed theBallotpedia 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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Previous election results

2016

See also:Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpediarated this race as safely Democratic. IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) defeatedJohn Morrow (R), the only Republican to file, in the general election on November 8, 2016. Kelly defeatedMarcus Lewis,Dorian Myrickes andCharles Rayburn in the Democratic primary on March 15, 2016.^[1][2]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Robin KellyIncumbent	79.8%	235,051
	Republican	John Morrow	20.2%	59,471
Total Votes				294,522
Source:Illinois State Board of Elections

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Robin KellyIncumbent	73.9%	115,752
Marcus Lewis	16.1%	25,280
Charles Rayburn	6.1%	9,559
Dorian Myrickes	3.8%	6,002
Total Votes		156,593
Source:Illinois State Board of Elections

2014

See also:Illinois' 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014

The 2nd Congressional District of Illinois held an election for theU.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. IncumbentRobin Kelly (D) defeated challengerEric Wallace (R) in the general election.

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Robin KellyIncumbent	78.5%	160,337
	Republican	Eric Wallace	21.4%	43,799
	Independent	Marcus Lewis (Write-in)	0.1%	130
Total Votes				204,266
Source:Illinois State Board of Elections Official Results

General election candidates

• Eric Wallace
• Robin Kelly - Incumbent

March 18, 2014, primary results

Republican Primary Eric Wallace[3]a

Democratic Primary Robin Kelly - Incumbenta

Removed from ballot

• Marcus Lewis^[4]
• Charles Rayburn^[5]

2013

See also:Illinois' 2nd Congressional District special election, 2013

The 2nd Congressional District of Illinois held a special election to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of RepresentativeJesse Jackson Jr. (D).Robin Kelly won the race.^[6]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 Special Election, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Robin Kelly	70.7%	58,834
	Republican	Paul McKinley	22.1%	18,387
	Independent	Elizabeth Pahlke	3%	2,525
	Green	LeAlan M. Jones	1.8%	1,531
	Independent	Marcus Lewis	1.6%	1,359
	Independent	Curtis Llong Bey	0.7%	548
	Write-in	Steve Piekarczyk	0%	9
Total Votes				83,193
Source:Results via Illinois State Board of Elections

2012

See also:Illinois' 2nd Congressional District elections, 2012

The 2nd Congressional District of Illinois held an election for theU.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. IncumbentJesse Jackson Jr. won re-election in the district.^[7]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jesse Jackson Jr.Incumbent	63.3%	188,303
	Republican	Brian Woodworth	23.2%	69,115
	Independent	Marcus Lewis	13.5%	40,006
Total Votes				297,424
Source:Illinois Board of Elections "2012 General Election Official Vote Totals"

2010
On November 2, 2010, Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Isaac C. Hayes (R) and Anthony W. Williams (Green) in the general election.^[8]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.incumbent	80.5%	150,666
	Republican	Isaac C. Hayes	13.8%	25,883
	Green	Anthony W. Williams	5.6%	10,564
Total Votes				187,113

2008
On November 4, 2008, Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Anthony W. Williams (R) and Nathan Peoples (Green) in the general election.^[9]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.incumbent	89.4%	251,052
	Republican	Anthony W. Williams	10.6%	29,721
	Green	Nathan Peoples	0%	3
Total Votes				280,776

2006
On November 7, 2006, Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Robert Belin (R) and Anthony W. Williams (Libertarian) in the general election.^[10]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.incumbent	84.8%	146,347
	Republican	Robert Belin	11.8%	20,395
	Libertarian	Anthony W. Williams	3.3%	5,748
Total Votes				172,490

2004
On November 2, 2004, Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Stephanie Sailor (Libertarian) in the general election.^[11]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.incumbent	88.5%	207,535
	Libertarian	Stephanie Sailor	11.5%	26,990
Total Votes				234,525

2002
On November 5, 2002, Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Doug Nelson (R) in the general election.^[12]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.incumbent	82.3%	151,443
	Republican	Doug Nelson	17.7%	32,567
Total Votes				184,010

2000
On November 7, 2000, Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Robert Gordon III (R) in the general election.^[13]

U.S. House, Illinois District 2 General Election, 2000
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.incumbent	89.8%	175,995
	Republican	Robert Gordon III	10.2%	19,906
Total Votes				195,901

District map

Redistricting

2020-2021

See also:Redistricting in Illinois after the 2020 census

Illinois enacted a congressional map on November 24, 2021, after Gov.J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the proposal into law.^[14] TheIllinois State Senate voted 41-18 in favor of the map on October 28, 2021, followed by theIllinois House of Representatives voting 71-43 in favor on October 29, 2021.^[15]

How does redistricting in Illinois work? TheIllinois General Assembly is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a redistricting plan. Thegovernor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.^[16]

In the event that both chambers of the state legislature do not approve a legislative redistricting plan, a backup commission must draw the lines. The majority and minority leaders of each chamber must appoint two members each to the commission (one legislator and one general citizen). Of the eight commission members, no more than four may belong to the same political party. In the event that these eight members cannot approve a plan, theIllinois Supreme Court must select two individuals (from different political parties) as potential tiebreakers. Thesecretary of state must then appoint one of these individuals to the backup commission to break the tie.^[16]

TheIllinois Constitution requires that state legislative districts be "contiguous and reasonably compact." There are no such requirements in place for the state's congressional districts.^[16]

State law also mandates the establishment of state legislative districts "that allow racial or language minority communities to elect--or influence the election of--the candidates of their choice, even if no comparable district would be required by the federalVoting Rights Act."^[16]

2020

2024

2010-2011

This is the 2nd Congressional District of Illinois after the 2001 redistricting process.

See also:Redistricting in Illinois after the 2010 census

In 2011, theIllinois State Legislature re-drew the congressional districts based on updated population information from the 2010 census.

District analysis

See also:The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

See also:FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

2026

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, theCook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+18. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 18 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Illinois' 2nd the 74th most Democratic district nationally.^[17]

2024

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, theCook Partisan Voter Index for this district was 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' 2nd the 72nd most Democratic district nationally.^[18]

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the2020 presidential election in this district would have been followingredistricting.Joe Biden (D) would have defeatedDonald Trump (R) 69.3%-29.3%.^[19]

2022

Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, theCook Partisan Voter Index for this district was 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' 2nd the 71st most Democratic district nationally.^[20]

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the2020 presidential election in this district would have been followingredistricting.Joe Biden (D) would have received 69.3% of the vote in this district andDonald Trump (R) would have received 29.3%.^[21]

2018

Heading into the 2018 elections, based on results from the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, theCook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+29. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 29 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Illinois' 2nd Congressional District the 27th most Democratic nationally.^[22]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.96. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.96 points toward that party.^[23]

See also

• Redistricting in Illinois
• Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2026
• Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2024
• Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2022
• Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2020
• Illinois' 2nd Congressional District election, 2018

External links

• GovTrack District 2

Footnotes