Politics
Donna Miller Declared Winner in Crowded 2nd Congressional District Democratic Primary
Cook County Commissioner and candidate for Illinois' 2nd Congressional District Donna Miller attends a forum hosted by the Democratic Women of the Southland Region, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Chicago Heights, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
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Donna Miller, a Cook County commissioner since 2018, has been declared the winner of a packed Democratic primary for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District seat.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller, 61, who received 40% of votes, according to unofficial results, after nearly 90% of all ballots had been counted.
She defeated Jesse Jackson Jr. — who previously held this seat for several years — who earned 29% of votes, state Sen. Robert Peters (12%) and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board member Yumeka Brown (10.3%), according to those unofficial results.
“Our campaign was run with honor and integrity every step of the way,” Miller told her supporters late Tuesday. “We run this race the old fashioned way — by earning it.”
The crowded field also included state Sen. Willie Preston, Adal Regis, who worked as a district representative under Kelly, attorney Patrick J. “PJK” Keating, businessman Eric France, Sidney Moore and Toni C. Brown.
Miller is now set to face off against Republican Michael Scott Noack, who is running unopposed in his party’s primary, in the general election this fall.
The 2nd District includes portions of Chicago’s South Side and suburbs and extends all the way downstate through Kankakee and past Danville.
Miller earned endorsements from U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell and Brad Schneider and said she planned to fight back against “powerful interests” she said have sought to “dismantle our democracy” by attacking voting rights and legitimate elections, and “unleashing militaristic forces” against those exercising their First Amendment rights.
“I refuse to let them succeed,” she said in the WTTW News Voter Guide. “I’m running for Congress because I feel duty bound to protect decades of nearly universally sanctioned legislation, programs, processes and government resources designed to give everyone the chance to contribute to the Great American Experiment.”
Raised in the south suburbs, Miller said that area and much of the 2nd District has suffered from “decades of well-documented government neglect.”
In her Voter Guide responses, Miller taxation inequities across the district have had a “devastating impact” on low-moderate income individuals and municipalities in education, housing, business development and living-wage employment.
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, who has represented that district since 2013, is facing off in a primary race of her own Tuesday as she’s seeking to replace Dick Durbin as one of Illinois’ two U.S. Senators.
The son of Civil Rights icon Jesse Jackson Sr., the younger Jackson previously held the 2nd District seat for 17 years before resigning in 2012 amid a federal investigation into his misuse of campaign funds. He pleaded guilty the following year, admitting at the time that for years he’d “lived off my campaign,” and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Kelly was elected to take over the 2nd District seat following his resignation.
Jackson said he’s now running again because the 2nd District needs a representative who brings “a lifetime of experience fighting for social justice and economic equality along with experience in Congress and a proven track record of results,” he said in the WTTW News Voter Guide.
Jackson also claimed he has the most detailed economic and health care plans among the candidates and intends to reverse the “social and economic damage done by MAGA and this administration to truly create a more perfect union and a level playing field.”
He officially conceded the race to Miller in a speech late Tuesday.
“I think she’s an extraordinary public servant and is going to do a fine job on behalf of the people of the 2nd Congressional District,” Jackson said.
Also running are a pair of current Illinois state senators in Willie Preston and Robert Peters.
Preston was elected to represent the state’s 16th District in 2022 following time working as a janitor, butcher, union tradesman and activist. He said that beyond affordability, the biggest issue facing the 2nd District is fear, specifically of a “ruthless economy that discards people,” he said in his Voter Guide responses.
Peters has represented Illinois’ 13th District since 2019, prior to which he worked as a community organizer, focused on improving wages, voting rights and economic justice, according to his campaign website.
He also introduced the Pretrial Fairness Act, legislation that led to Illinois becoming the first state in the nation to fully eliminate the use of cash bail.
