Donna Miller won the Democratic primary for the 2nd District’s Congressional seat, defeating nine other candidates in a competitive race, according to results reported on March 17.
Miller, who serves as a Cook County commissioner, secured about 41 percent of the vote with 72 percent of ballots counted. The Associated Press called the race for Miller at approximately 8:20 p.m. Her closest competitor was Jesse Jackson Jr., former congressman and son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who received about 28.6 percent of the vote.
With this victory, Miller becomes the leading candidate to replace Representative Robin Kelly, who chose not to seek reelection and instead is running for retiring Senator Dick Durbin’s seat. In November’s general election, Miller will face Mike Noack, a truck driver from Kankakee County who ran unopposed in the Republican primary. The district has not elected a Republican since 1950.
The Democratic primary featured significant spending by special interest groups focused on issues such as support for Israel, artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrency. Candidates often criticized each other’s sources of funding while largely agreeing on progressive policies like tax increases on corporations and billionaires, Medicare for All, and reductions in military spending.
Campaign finance reports showed that Miller and Robert Peters led fundraising efforts as of February 25. Miller raised nearly $2 million; Peters raised $1.13 million; Jackson raised $288,251.
The boundaries of Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District include Chicago’s lakefront communities south of 43rd Street and neighborhoods such as Pullman and Altgeld Gardens on the Southeast Side and Far South Side. The district also extends beyond city limits to areas reaching east to Indiana, west to Livingston County, and south to Vermilion County.
