Rep. Robin Kelly on Tuesday joined the Democratic primary field for the open Senate seat in Illinois.
“Every day, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Congressional Republicans are targeting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and passing policies that raise costs for Illinois families, small businesses, and farmers,” Kelly said in making her announcement. “This moment requires proven leaders who have the experience to take on the toughest battles. I’ve never backed down — not from gun lobbyists, not from MAGA extremists, and certainly not from a fight for what’s right.”
Kelly, who represents Illinois’ 2nd District, is serving her sixth full term. She was first elected to the House in a 2013 special election that followed the resignation of Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr., D-Ill., in a corruption scandal.
As she notes in her announcement video, Kelly first ran for Congress in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, and she has been a leading advocate for gun safety measures.
“Donald Trump, he may think he’s a king and can order people around, but I don’t take orders from him. I’m standing up for you,” Kelly said.
Even before her time in the House, Kelly became well known with the Chicago-area Democratic Party apparatus.
In 2002, Kelly won election to the state House and served two terms before becoming the chief of staff to Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. Both she and her boss had a rough year in 2010. Giannoulias lost a U.S. Senate race to Republican Mark S. Kirk, and Kelly lost her bid to replace her former boss.
In addition to serving in Congress, she filled in to lead Illinois’ Democratic Party from 2021 to 2022 in the wake of a corruption scandal involving longtime party head Mike Madigan. She threw her hat in the ring to run for a full term as state party chair, but dropped out of the race after Gov. J.B. Pritzker endorsed another candidate.
Kelly will now be running to replace Sen. Richard J. Durbin, the longtime Democratic whip, whose planned retirement set off what’s likely to be a competitive Democratic primary in Illinois.
Kelly is the latest entrant into the primary field, which already features Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. Other members of the Illinois House delegation are eyeing bids, including Democratic Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lauren Underwood. Stratton has already picked up backing from both Pritzker and Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
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