As political petition passing begins, Illinois Democrats have flood of candidates; Republicans have a trickle

CHICAGO — More than seven months before votes are cast, Illinois’ 2026 political campaign season officially kicks off this week as candidates for federal, state and county offices fan out across the state to gather petition signatures to appear on the March 17 primary ballot.

The Tuesday launch date to begin gathering voter signatures is a month earlier this year due to legislation approved last year that also advanced the date for candidates to file their petitions to Oct. 27, rather than the end of November.

It’s the latest chapter in an unusual midterm election cycle that has seen veteran federal lawmakers announce their retirements at the end of their terms in January 2027, creating open-seat races for U.S. Senate, four congressional seats and state comptroller, as well as several legislative seats, as politicians aspire to climb the political ladder.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s decision to retire after five terms has prompted U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a five-termer from Schaumburg, and Robin Kelly, a six-term lawmaker from Matteson, to seek the Democratic nomination to succeed him. That primary race also includes Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.

Adding to Kelly’s open 2nd Congressional District seat and Krishnamoorthi’s 8th Congressional District seat are the retirement announcements of 14-term, 81-year-old U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston in the 9th Congressional District and 15-term, 83-year-old U.S. Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago in the 7th Congressional District.

Those open seats in reliably Democratic districts have triggered a rush of candidates competing in the primaries, where winning will almost certainly lead to victories in the general election on Nov. 3, 2026.

At least 62 candidates have already announced their intentions to run for the five federal offices, 47 of them Democrats, portending a raucous primary season as they seek to gain attention and differentiate themselves before prospective voters. Add to that at least three Democrats vying for the open statewide office of comptroller created by incumbent Susana Mendoza’s decision not to seek reelection as she pursues a likely 2027 mayoral run.

Robin Johnson, a political strategist and political science professor at Monmouth College in far western Illinois, said the allure of an open seat is an obvious factor for the deluge of candidacy announcements. But he said other factors are in play.

“I think it’s pent-up demand due to open seats, but I also think it’s due to the generational battle within the Democratic Party and the ideological battle within the Democratic Party that’s bringing out a lot of people who might not ordinarily consider running,” Johnson said.

“They’re looking at the success of Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayoral Democratic candidate,” he said of the 33-year-old democratic socialist. “Some of these candidates are drawing their beginnings back to (Vermont Sen.) Bernie Sanders, were motivated by his first (Democratic presidential) race in 2016,” he said of the generational change movement.

In addition, Johnson cited as a motivating factor an ideological battle spawned by President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress that pits “those Democrats who are the resistance part of the party and the others who are still trying to get things done and compromise where they can to get things done.”

Not all of the announced candidates will file petitions or make the ballot amid petition challenges filed by rivals. But Johnson also warned that large fields of candidates seeking a specific office can lead to a nominee achieving far below a majority of votes, forcing them to try to unify a disparate base.

“The question is going to be, is this (large number of candidates) just a one-timer as a result of incumbents retiring and the raging debates going on within the Democratic Party, or is this ideological and generational divide going to continue?” he asked.

While Democrats have seen a flood of candidate announcements, for Illinois’ moribund Republican Party, it’s more of a trickle.

So far, no major GOP candidates have emerged for U.S. Senate or most of the statewide offices. Democrats Gov. JB Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Treasurer Mike Frerichs are all seeking reelection.

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick is the only announced candidate for governor of any political stature, and he reported July 1 having only $100,000 in cash on hand in his political fund to take on the billionaire Pritzker.

Others are said to be weighing a bid, including former state GOP Chair Don Tracy, Palatine Township Highway Commissioner Aaron Del Mar and Ted Dabrowski, president of the conservative advocacy group Wirepoints.

On Sunday, Richard Porter, an attorney and former Republican national committeeman from Illinois, used social media to announce he would not seek the GOP nomination for Durbin’s U.S. Senate seat.

“After close consultations with my family and friends, I have decided not to pursue this opportunity,” Porter wrote in a Facebook post. “I intend to stay involved in the effort to turn around Illinois.”

Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair on Aug. 14 may prove to be an important event for the party, depending upon whether potential candidates use the day to announce a decision to run.

Pat Brady, a former state GOP chair and a Republican not aligned with Trump and his takeover of the party, said the dearth of candidate news is “unfortunate, because I think there are things that Republicans can talk about that the voters would like. But you can’t beat somebody with nobody.”

As the party’s influence in Illinois has continued to dwindle, more internal factional infighting has developed.

“I’ve never, ever seen it where it’s going to be questionable whether or not the Republicans have a full (statewide) slate,” he said. “I haven’t heard anybody for comptroller, haven’t heard anybody for secretary of state, haven’t heard anybody for treasurer. Nobody’s even leaking their name to get attention.”

Brady said the results of the 2022 Republican primary, which saw a slate of candidates backed by billionaire Ken Griffin and headed by former Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin go down in defeat, also meant the loss of several up-and-coming Republicans who could be running this time.

“It’s a sad, sad thing, but the party’s got to come to grips with the fact that the approach that we need to get more conservative to win — that doesn’t work. Or we need to be more Trumpy to win — that hasn’t worked either,” Brady said. “I do believe there are things Republicans used to stand for or should stand for that would be of interest to Illinois voters, taxes, economic growth, things like that.”

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