IL-04
The district: Illinois’ 4th Congressional District (IL-04) includes parts of Cook County in Chicago and has been represented by JStreetPAC endorsee and longtime incumbent Rep. Luis Gutierrez since 1993. Rep. Gutierrez most recently won reelection in 2016 with 100% of the vote after facing no credible challengers. In November 2017, he announced that he would retire at the end of his current term and endorsed Chuy Garcia to succeed him.
Our candidate: Chuy Garcia has served in various roles in Chicago and Illinois government since 1984, including most recently on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Garcia emerged as a progressive leader during his 2015 mayoral campaign. He handily won the Democratic primary on March 20th and is not expected to face a competitive general election campaign.
IL-06
The district: Illinois’ 6th congressional district (IL-06) is currently represented by Republican Rep. Peter Roskam, who most recently won re-election in 2016 by 18 points. At the same time, Secretary Clinton carried the district in the 2016 presidential race by 7 points, making this a highly competitive race.
Our Candidate: Sean Casten is a scientist and clean energy expert. Casten competed in a seven-way Democratic primary to secure the nomination with 29.5% of the vote. He has received endorsements from JStreetPAC endorsees Senators Dick Durbin and Elizabeth Warren, and President Barack Obama, and he is also a part of the DCCC’s Red to Blue program.
IL-12
The district: Illinois’ 12th congressional district is a downstate Illinois district that has been represented by Republican Rep. Mike Bost since 2015.
Our candidate: Brendan Kelly served in the Navy before becoming the Assistant State’s Attorney. In 2012, he became the State’s Attorney for St. Clair County. In this role, he has prosecuted pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis, and he created a children’s justice division. On March 20, Kelly decisively won the Democratic primary and is slated for a competitive general election against Rep. Bost in November.
IL-13
The district: Illinois’ 13th congressional district (IL-13) is currently represented by Congressman Rodney Davis, and is rated by the Cook Political Report as “lean Republican” for the 2018 cycle.
Our Candidate: Betsy Dirksen Londrigan is a teacher, entrepreneur, and small business owner, and she is the Democratic nominee in Illinois’ 13th congressional district. Dirksen Londrigan previously worked for Senator Dick Durbin and been active in Democratic politics and advocacy causes for 20 years. In March, Dirksen Londrigan easily cleared the five-way Democratic primary in the district, winning 46% of the vote.