With U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly looking to take the place of Dick Durbin in the Senate, others are looking to compete for her job in Washington.
In the wake of Kelly’s announcement of her plans, after Durbin said he would not seek reelection, those who’ve announced or are looking to follow her in the 2nd Congressional District include two Matteson officials and a South Side state senator.
Assuming that Kelly, a seven-term Democratic congresswoman from Matteson, stays in the Senate race, she would be unable to run for reelection in the House.
The primaries won’t take place until next March, giving plenty of time for others to look at their possible campaigns for the 2nd Congressional District.
Yumeka Brown, Matteson village clerk and a commissioner with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, has formed an exploratory committee for a potential run, as has Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin.
State Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, said he is a candidate for Kelly’s House seat.
Both Brown and Chalmers-Currin said they will do listening tours to take the temperature of voters and potential support as part of their exploration of potential candidacies.
The oddly shaped 2nd Congressional District stretches about 140 miles along the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Indiana border, from 43rd Street on Chicago’s South Side to south of Danville in central Illinois.
The district includes all or parts of Southland communities including Blue Island, Calumet City, Chicago Heights, Country Club Hills, Dolton, Flossmoor, Glenwood, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Homewood, Markham, Matteson, Monee, Olympia Fields, Park Forest, Thornton and University Park.
The list of those potential candidates includes just about every known name on Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs, including Chicago aldermen and local state representatives and senators.
Those who’ve been mentioned as potential candidates in the heavily Democratic district include Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller of Lynwood, and state Sen. Napoleon Harris of Harvey.
Harris is the new supervisor in Thornton Township after one-term supervisor Tiffany Henyard, also the former Dolton mayor, was not slated by Democrats in the recent election.
Brown was elected to the MWRD Board in November 2022 and first elected Matteson’s clerk in April 2017. She wasreelected to a third term last month.
“Over the past twelve years, Representative Robin Kelly has served the Second Congressional District well. We have all lauded her accomplishments and fight for the middle class, the underserved, and the voiceless,” Brown said in announcing her interest in succeeding Kelly. “As she now steps forward to take that fight to the United States Senate, our district faces a pivotal moment.”
“We must elevate the mission in Congress to protect Medicaid, Social Security, the rights of women, and to guard against Donald Trump’s planned destruction of the Affordable Healthcare Act.” Brown said.
Chalmers-Currin, sworn in for her third term Tuesday, said she is working with business leaders and elected officials to study a possible bid for Kelly’s job.
“Given her recent announcement, it is imperative someone fills the possible void,” Chalmers-Currin said. “I love being the mayor of Matteson so this was not on my radar.”
“I cannot not look at this,” she said.
Chalmers-Currin said she’s not yet making a formal announcement to run, and doesn’t have a timetable for when she might decide.
“When it’s something exploratory, there are moving pieces going on right now,” she said. “You don’t want to go out and make an announcement until you know if there is a track and a desire.”
While testing the water at this point, Chalmers-Currin said she wants to be ready should Kelly stay committed to the U.S. Senate run. Kelly told the Chicago Tribune she doesn’t plan to circulate nominating petitions later this year for an eighth term in the U.S. House.
“Right now it looks like she’s all in,” Chalmers-Currin said of Kelly.
Peters took office as state senator in January 2019 to succeed Kwame Raoul, now state attorney general.
Peters’ district is entirely in Chicago, taking in all or parts of communities including the East Side, Hyde Park, Kenwood and South Chicago.
“I’m running for Congress to take on the billionaires in charge of Washington and to build a government that delivers for the people,” Peters said Tuesday in announcing his candidacy. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are taking a wrecking ball to our fundamental rights, and we need a proven fighter in Congress to stand up to them and their extremist followers.”
Along with Kelly, declared Democratic candidates for Durbin’s seat are Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Stratton is being backed by billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker and is also endorsed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, and Krishnamoorthi is a five-term congressman from Schaumburg sitting on more than $19 million in campaign cash. Kelly had more than $2 million in her campaign war chest at the start of April, campaign records show.
Chicago Tribune contributed
