What to know about state legislative races in Illinois' March 17 primary
A slew of candidates are facing off in the March 17 primary for Illinois General Assembly seats. Here's a brief look at what's at stake.
What is the General Assembly?
The Illinois General Assembly meets at the state Capitol in Springfield every January to debate and vote on proposed laws, adjourning in May or June. There are 118 members of the Illinois House of Representatives and 59 members of the Illinois Senate.
Democrats make up 78 of the seats in the Illinois House, giving them a strong majority. All state representatives serve two-year terms with elections on even-numbered years, meaning all the seats are up for a vote in 2026.
Illinois Senate races, on the other hand, are staggered. There are 39 seats up for election this year. As is the case in the House, Democrats have a supermajority in the Senate, controlling 40 seats to Republicans 29.
To locate your state Senate and House districts and learn who is representing you in Springfield, go here on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
What are a few key races?
Some incumbents jumped to run for congressional seats or other offices, opening contests across the city.
After winning election in 2006, La Shawn Ford has been representing the 8th House district ever since. But he is vying for U.S. Rep. Danny Davis’ congressional seat, and that leaves Jill Bush, Shantel Franklin, John Harrell and Latonya Mitts competing to succeed him on the West Side and western suburban post.
After two terms in the Illinois House, Hoan Huynh jumped into the race to succeed Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Congress, leaving a wide-open race in the 13th district on the North Side. Five candidates are vying to replace Huynh, including Adam Braun, Ridge Knapp, Sunjay Kumar, James O’Brien and Demi Palecek.
In the 9th Senate district, Patrick Hanley and Rachel Ruttenberg are competing to succeed state Sen. Laura Fine, who also is running in a crowded field of candidates to replace Schakowsky. The district dips into the North Side but mostly represents North Shores suburbs.