Dubbing herself an 'underdog,' Rep. Robin Kelly launches Senate bid to replace Durbin
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly on Tuesday became the second major Democrat to jump into the high-profile race to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin.
Kelly announced her candidacy in a video, less than two weeks after Durbin announced he wouldn’t be seeking reelection for a sixth term. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton announced her bid a day later. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is expected to announce a challenge soon — and U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood is still exploring a run.
"I'm Robin Kelly. You could say I've been an underdog my whole life," Kelly says in a biographical video that hits on some of the most important parts of her political career, including her staunch support for gun control, both in Congress and in the Illinois House.
It features a picture of Kelly next to the late-Rep. John Lewis during a 26-hour sit-in staged by Democrats in 2016 to fight for gun control legislation. At the time, Kelly had already stopped standing for moments of silence on the House floor as a silent protest against Congress’ inaction.
“I remember the day I didn't stand after another mass shooting. Every member of Congress rose for another moment of silence, and I stayed in my seat,” Kelly says. “I sat. But I wasn't really alone. Behind me were the mothers, the children, the neighborhoods who lost too much. And the next time someone else sat down with me and then another, until a moment of silence felt more like an echo of inaction.”
Kelly, who lives in south suburban Matteson, has represented the 2nd Congressional District since 2013 and previously served in the Illinois House. She also served as chief of staff to Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and as Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s chief administrative officer.
Kelly said she’s spoken to Preckwinkle about her bid, and she will be seeking the endorsement of the Cook County Democratic Party at the party’s slating in July.
Kelly has focused on health care, immigration and gun control in the House. She's a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and serves on the Health, Communications and Technology, and Innovation, Data, and Commerce subcommittees. She's also a member of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which sets the policy direction for the Democratic Caucus. She's also a co-chair for the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
"Definitely I would take my health care work to the Senate. There's still too many disparities in health care, and you know, hopefully the Medicaid issue we're going to solve in a better way. But if that ... gets through, that'll be a problem," Kelly said. "Diversifying the health care pipeline, clinical trials. Those are things I'll still be looking at."
Kelly said she would also push to pass in the Senate the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which seeks to strengthen voting rights protections with federal oversight. The bill has been reintroduced every year since 2013.
Kelly said she works with Durbin often and has “hinted” to him that she would be interested in running for his seat. She said she’ll be seeking his endorsement.
“Of course I would love his endorsement, but he has to do what he thinks is right for him,” Kelly said.
Kelly will have to compete with Krishnamoorthi’s $19 million-and-counting campaign war chest, but she said she’s up to the challenge. Kelly had about $2 million cash on hand in December, according to campaign finance records.
“I would not get in the race if I didn’t think I could raise the money that I needed,” Kelly said. “This is not my first rodeo with races, and I do what I need to do to win — and hopefully people are going to look at the work product and not let money decide the election.”
Kelly also served as the first Black woman to chair the Democratic Party of Illinois, before behind-the-scenes finagling in 2022 by Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch prompted her to drop out.
Pritzker quickly endorsed Stratton in her bid for the Durbin seat — and he's expected to financially support her campaign in some capacity.
But Kelly said she believes the Pritzker political feud is over, at least from her viewpoint.
“In my mind, it’s over. We’ve had many conversations since then and … I remember one time I texted him because I was frustrated about what the governor of Texas was doing, and we had a great conversation,” Kelly said. “We’ve seen each other. We’ve talked. It’s, you know, not an issue for me.”