2026 U.S. Senate candidate profile: Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly
Three House Democrats from Illinois are leading the 2026 race to replace U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin after he steps down at the end of his term.
CBS News Chicago is taking a closer look at the three top candidates, including U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, who has represented Illinois's 2nd congressional district – which includes much of Chicago's southern lakefront neighborhoods, several south suburbs, and parts of east central Illinois – for 13 years.
Kelly has spent 23 years in and out of political office, calling herself a workhorse, not a show horse, who works both sides of the aisle, and – given the way her congressional district is cut up – she said knows how to speak to and work for every kind of Illinoisian.
"When I think about my primary challengers, I think of myself as a person with a lot more experience that has gotten a lot more meaningful things done while serving in Congress. And my district is urban, suburban, and rural. It is truly a microcosm of Illinois, and I've delivered in every part of my district," she said.
Kelly, who spent four years in the Illinois General Assembly from 2003 to 2007, said it's easy for a Democratic state lawmaker to pass legislation in a blue state like Illinois, particularly when Democrats have had veto-proof majorities in both chambers for years.
"It's not that way when you come to D.C. You have to make and build relationships. You have to know how to work across the aisle," she said.
Is there something in her career she wishes she could do over again differently?
"It's not one necessarily one redo, but just speaking up … more," she said. "I guess more not being afraid about giving my opinion. I can't think of, you know, one time something that resonates with me."
"We never talk about the people that die by gun violence by themselves. We only talk about it if it's a mass shooting," she added.
The Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown has become a predominant topic of the campaign. Kelly has called for dismantling the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and build an agency people can trust. What does that mean, exactly?
"I think it's bigger than ICE. It's about ICE, but we need to look at the Department of Homeland Security. I filed impeachment papers against [Secretary] Kristi Noem, but we need to dismantle ICE. We need to dismantle Border Patrol like it is now, and also USCIS that takes care of citizenship and asylums. It's all broken," Kelly said.
If elected, Kelly would have to work with Chicago's City Hall for the next six years. Can Mayor Brandon Johnson count on her support if he runs for a second term in 2027?
"Right now, I would say I'll be neutral. I think he's, as I've said before, I think he did a good job with ICE. I think he did, when we had the DNC here and Chicago was on display, you know, he did a really good job. I think he is a caring person. He's in a tough, tough, tough seat," she said.
Kelly is polling in third place in the Democratic primary. She's also in third place in fundraising, but she's bullish on her chances, and said her "people over profits" approach to campaigning is resonating with voters she's talking to.
