Illinois voters will head to the polls on March 17 to cast their vote in state, local, and federal primary elections. The Maroon has compiled a guide to the races that will appear on ballots this month.
Early voting will be held at the Reynolds Club between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. Election Day polls will be open between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Only U.S. citizens can vote in Illinois elections, and voters can register on Election Day at their polling place. UChicago students who register using their dorm or off-campus addresses are eligible to vote in Illinois even if they are not permanent state residents. Voters may only be registered to vote in one state at a time; registering in Illinois will void previous registrations. Voters can register in-person until Election Day.
Check which congressional and state legislative districts and judicial subcircuit you reside in.
Federal Races
U.S. Senate Democratic and Republican Primaries
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin announced after five terms that he will not be seeking reelection this year, leaving one of Illinois’s Senate seats vacant. Recent polls have shown U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton leading the race, with U.S. Representative Robin Kelly in third place.
Robin Kelly (D): Kelly has represented Illinois’s 2nd Congressional District since 2013 and is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She is running on a platform titled “People Over Profits,” which includes proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy, provide Medicare for all, and increase the national minimum wage. At a January 26 Democratic Senate primary debate held at UChicago’s International House, Kelly acknowledged the challenges raising wages poses for small businesses and suggested tax credits as a potential solution.
Raja Krishnamoorthi (D): Krishnamoorthi has represented Illinois’s 8th Congressional District since 2017. He is a member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. As part of his affordability agenda, Krishnamoorthi has proposed tax credits for new homeowners and a nationwide free lunch program. While his Democratic opponents have called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Krishnamoorthi aims to reform the agency.
Juliana Stratton (D): Stratton has served as Illinois’s lieutenant governor since 2018. Her campaign has focused on affordability, expanding middle-class opportunities, and protecting democratic rights. At the International House debate, Stratton emphasized her refusal to accept funding from corporate political action committees. She has been endorsed by Governor J. B. Pritzker and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).
Don Tracy (R): Tracy is an attorney and former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. If elected, Tracy hopes to improve affordability by reducing taxes, healthcare costs, and interest rates. He decided to run for office in response to what he described as “extreme agendas,” which include defunding the police and providing welfare to immigrants.
U.S. House of Representatives District 1 Republican Primary
Democratic incumbent Jonathan Jackson, who took office in 2023, is seeking reelection. Jerico Brown, a pastor and U.S. Army veteran, has launched a write-in campaign for the Democratic primary and will not appear on the ballot.
Marcus Lewis: Lewis is a retired mail handler for the United States Postal Service and an Apostolic Pentecostal minister. He is an outspoken Trump supporter and has centered his campaign on reducing illegal immigration.
Christian Maxwell: Maxwell is the cofounder of an education platform for homeschooling and daycare. Her key issues include supporting small businesses, modernizing law enforcement, and improving educational opportunities.
U.S. House of Representatives District 2 Democratic Primary
Mike Noack, a truck driver, is running unopposed and is thus the presumptive Republican candidate for the seat.
Jesse Jackson Jr.: Jackson—the son of the civil rights activist who died last month—represented the district from 1995 until 2012, when he resigned amid a federal fraud investigation, for which he was later found guilty of misusing $750,000 in campaign funds. He supports expanding the Affordable Care Act, increasing teacher salaries, and constructing a third airport in Chicago.
Donna Miller: Miller has served as the 6th District commissioner on the Cook County Board since 2018. Miller has emphasized her support for expanded maternal healthcare access and reproductive rights. She also cites her father’s military service as a factor in her support for veterans’ issues.
Robert Peters: Peters has represented the 13th District in the Illinois State Senate since 2019. His priorities include creating more trauma centers and affordable housing in the district. He also hopes to expand Social Security benefits, support the proposed Medicare for All program, and lower prescription medication costs. Peters spoke to the Maroon about his background and candidacy in an interview this week, which you can read here.
State Races
Illinois Governor and Lieutenant Governor Republican Primary
Several Republicans are competing to challenge Democratic incumbent J. B. Pritzker, who is running to serve his third term alongside Christian Mitchell (A.B. ’08). Pritzker and Mitchell are unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Darren Bailey: Bailey, who was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2022, is the owner of Bailey Family Farm and, most recently, represented Illinois State Senate District 55 from 2021 to 2023. On his website, Bailey highlights his proposals for improving public education, strengthening law enforcement, and lowering taxes. He is running alongside lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar, the chairman of the Cook County Republican Party.
Ted Dabrowski: Dabrowski (M.P.P. ’09) is a former president of Wirepoints, a conservative research and commentary organization, and vice president of policy at the conservative Illinois Policy Institute think tank. He is a proponent of universal school choice and has emphasized improving K-12 education in his campaign. His running mate is Carrie Mendoza (M.D. ’01), an emergency physician from Hazel Crest, Illinois.
Rick Heidner: Heidner, a businessman in the video gambling, energy, and real estate industries, hopes to align Illinois’s agenda with President Donald Trump’s. He supports lowering taxes and opposes gun control regulations. Heidner’s running mate is Homer Glen, Illinois, Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike.
James Mendrick: Mendrick has been sheriff of DuPage County since 2018. His priorities include lowering crime, reducing government spending, and education reform. He is running alongside Robert Renteria, an author and army veteran.
Secretary of State Republican Primary
The Illinois Secretary of State manages the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), maintains state records, oversees the state library system, and registers business entities. Alexi Giannoulias, the incumbent, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Walter Adamczyk: Adamczyk is the former Republican committeeman, a position within a ward’s political party apparatus, for Chicago’s 29th Ward. If elected, Adamczyk hopes to modernize the secretary of state’s office and improve recordkeeping. He also plans to provide free state IDs and driver’s licenses to honorably discharged veterans.
Diane Harris: An entrepreneur and high school substitute teacher, Harris has prioritized reducing government spending in her campaign. She has also proposed improving access to DMV services by creating drive-ups and kiosks.
Comptroller Democratic Primary
The comptroller of Illinois maintains the state’s central fiscal accounts, orders payments into and out of state funds, and manages bill payments to state employees and creditors. Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza is not seeking reelection and has hinted at a potential run for Chicago mayor next year.
Margaret Croke: Croke has represented the 12th District in the Illinois State House since 2021. She plans to improve the Vendor Payment Program, which expedites payments to State service providers, and use predictive modeling and other new technology to reduce fraud and waste. Croke has been endorsed by Governor J.B. Pritzker and State Representative Kam Buckner, whose district covers some of Hyde Park.
Stephanie Kifowit: Kifowit, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, has represented the 84th District in the State House since 2013 and chairs the State Government Administration and Veterans’ Affairs Committees. If elected, Kifowit says she would create a dedicated Labor Division to oversee Illinois labor laws, as well as a Nonprofit & Community-Based Division to improve state funding distribution to nonprofits.
Holly Kim: Kim is the current Lake County treasurer and has campaigned with a focus on affordability. She plans to strengthen the enforcement of the Prevailing Wage Act and project labor agreements. She has also proposed digitizing financial documents and bolstering cybersecurity in the comptroller’s office. Kim has been endorsed by Mendoza.
Karina Villa: Villa has served the 25th Illinois State Senate District since 2021 and is chair of the Illinois Senate Progressive Caucus. Her campaign proposals include terminating state contracts with entities that collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and creating a live online dashboard of bill backlogs.
Illinois House of Representatives District 25
Curtis Tarver II, the incumbent, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. He will face Antoinette Simmons, the presumptive Republican nominee.
Illinois House of Representatives District 26 Democratic Primary
No candidates are running in the Republican primary.
Kam Buckner: Buckner, the incumbent, has represented the district since 2019 and serves as speaker pro tempore in the State House of Representatives. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Buckner highlighted his work banning assault weapons, establishing an elected school board, and producing balanced budgets. Buckner previously served as a Pritzker Fellow at UChicago’s Institute of Politics.
Kenya Franklin: Franklin has represented the 3rd District of Illinois’s Chicago Police District Council since 2023. Her website features proposals to support family caregivers, expand school choice, and cap auto insurance rates.
Local Races
Cook County Board of Commissioners President
The Cook County Board of Commissioners president oversees the county’s government agencies and submits the annual budget to the Board of Commissioners, the chief legislative and governing body of the county.
Toni Preckwinkle: Preckwinkle (A.B. ’69, M.A.T. ’77), the incumbent, has served in the role since 2010 and chairs the Cook County Democratic Party. During her time in office, she has forgiven medical debt and established the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot program, which provided low-income residents with cash payments for two years.
Brendan Reilly: Reilly has represented Chicago’s 42nd Ward in the City Council since 2007 and is a vocal opponent of Mayor Brandon Johnson. His top issues include public safety and restoring fiscal transparency.
Cook County Assessor Democratic Primary
The Cook County assessor is responsible for appraising all property in the county and collecting property taxes. Nico Tsatsoulis, a libertarian, is the only non-Democratic candidate running for the position.
Fritz Kaegi: Kaegi, the incumbent, has served as Cook County assessor since 2018 and touts his achievements in making the property tax system more transparent. One of his top priorities is preventing rising property tax rates, and he hopes to offer tax relief for certain groups.
Pat Hynes: Hynes currently serves as Lyons Township assessor and has 23 years of experience as a field inspector for the Cook County Assessor’s Office. Hynes, who has accused Kaegi of inaccurate property tax assessments, hopes to restore confidence to the office and, if elected, would create a Department of Economic Development.
Circuit Court of Cook County
Circuit Court judges are trial judges who preside over civil and criminal cases in the county. All residents of Cook County are eligible to vote in the elections to fill vacancies left by Judges Mary Ellen Coghlan and Cynthia Cobbs, who both left their seats in 2024. All the candidates are running as Democrats.
Coghlan Vacancy
Ashonta Rice: Rice is an attorney specializing in family law and has served as a court-appointed child representative and guardian ad litem since 2007. A guardian ad litem is an attorney appointed by the judge to represent the interests of someone, often a minor, who is unable to take care of themselves.
Michael Cabonargi: The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Cabonargi to fill this vacancy last year. He recently served as Democratic counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee investigating the backgrounds of Trump administration nominees.
Cobbs Vacancy
Linda Sackey: The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Sackey (J.D. ’06) to fill this position last year.
Luz Maria Toledo: Toledo is a Cook County assistant state’s attorney working in the civil bureau.
First Subcircuit of Cook County
Only residents of the First Subcircuit, which extends from Cottage Grove Avenue to Lake Michigan and covers all of Hyde Park north of East 60th Street, can vote in the elections below. There are no contested elections in the Fifth Subcircuit, where Woodlawn Residential Commons, Renee Granville Grossman Residential Commons, and Burton-Judson Courts, along with many off-campus residences south of the Midway, are located.
Subcircuit Court judges preside over civil and criminal trials in their subcircuit. Judge Robert Balanoff retired in 2025, and Judge Carl Walker was elected to the state appellate court in 2024.
Balanoff Vacancy
Natalie Howse: Most recently, Howse has served the federal government as a prosecutor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and, since 2025, has been an independent attorney specializing in contracts and civil litigation.
Radiance Ward: Ward is a Cook County assistant public defender and currently serves as the lead trial attorney in first-degree murder cases.
Walker Vacancy
Tiffany Brooks: Brooks has served as first deputy commissioner of the Chicago Business Affairs and Consumer Protection department since 2025.
Ginger Odom: The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Odom to fill this position last year. She holds experience in appellate defense.
Ashley Shambley: Shambley is a Cook County assistant public defender specializing in felony cases and serves on the executive board of the public defender’s union.
Editor’s note, March 11, 7:44 p.m.: This article has been updated to reflect more recent polling of the Democratic primary in the Illinois U.S. Senate race.
