WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - Voters in Illinois on Tuesday will choose Democratic and Republican candidates for November's midterm elections that will determine control of the U.S. Congress for the next two years.
Dozens of Democrats have launched campaigns to fill safe seats vacated by incumbents who are either retiring or seeking higher office, and political fundraising groups with ties to a pro-Israel organization have spent millions of dollars in advertising across multiple districts to influence
voters.
Here are five races to watch:
JESSE JACKSON JR. ATTEMPTS COMEBACK
Former U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. is attempting a comeback in the Chicago-area 2nd congressional district, which he represented from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. Jackson, the son of the late civil rights icon, pleaded guilty in 2013 to federal charges related to his misuse of $750,000 in campaign funds. Jackson's brother, Jonathan, is a current member of Congress.
Jackson is among at least nine Democrats competing for the open seat. Others include Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, who raised nearly $2 million, and progressive state Senator Robert Peters, who raised more than $1.1 million.
Roughly $6 million in advertising has been spent to support Miller's campaign, including more than $3 million from Affordable Chicago Now, a super PAC with reported ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee - a group that supports pro-Israel candidates regardless of party. She has also received some donations from individuals who have also donated to Republican President Donald Trump, drawing criticism from Peters and other Democrats.
The seat opened when Representative Robin Kelly, a Democrat, launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate.
The winner is likely to be elected to Congress in November, as the district is safely Democratic.
LATINAS VIE FOR MAJORITY-HISPANIC DISTRICT
Patty Garcia is expected to easily secure the Democratic nomination for Congress in Illinois' 4th district, a seat currently represented by retiring U.S. Representative Chuy Garcia.
Patty Garcia, who is not related to the congressman but serves as his chief of staff, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary after her boss waited until after the state's filing deadline to announce he wouldn't seek reelection, leaving his top aide as the only Democratic candidate on the ballot.
The House last year formally disapproved of Chuy Garcia's actions to clear a path for his chief of staff to succeed him without giving voters a choice in a primary, with 23 Democrats joining Republicans in the rebuke.
The majority-Hispanic Chicago-area district is safely Democratic, but Patty Garcia's election in November is no sure thing. She will face Republican nominee Lupe Castillo and Mayra Macias, a Democrat who launched an independent campaign in December. Macias narrowly outraised Garcia last year despite joining the race a month later.
TOP FUNDRAISER VS OUTSIDE SPENDING IN ILLINOIS' 7TH DISTRICT
River North developer Jason Friedman is the top fundraiser for Illinois' 7th congressional district. His $2.5 million fundraising haul is more than three times as much as his nearest competitor in the Democratic primary.
But Friedman's campaign has been outspent by more than $4 million in advertising supporting Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. United Democracy Project, a pro-Israel super PAC, has spent more than $3 million to boost Conyears-Ervin.
The district has had a Black representative since 1973. More than 40% of the district's residents are Black, as are each of the top candidates outside of Friedman.
Other contenders include Dr. Thomas Fisher, an emergency medicine physician who supports universal healthcare; state Representative La Shawn Ford, who has decried the level of outside spending and has been the target of a crypto super PAC; and former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, who pledges to push for lower costs, more jobs and safe streets if elected.
The seat opened with the retirement of Representative Danny Davis, 84, who has endorsed Ford.
The winner will likely be elected to Congress in November. The Chicago-area seat is safely Democratic.
ANOTHER FORMER US REPRESENTATIVE LAUNCHES COMEBACK EFFORT
Democratic former U.S. Representative Melissa Bean is running for her old congressional seat in Illinois' 8th district, which she represented from 2005 to 2011.
Bean, a conservative-leaning Democrat, or "Blue Dog," supported the Iraq War, voted with Democrats on the Affordable Care Act, and backed Republicans on tax-cut extensions when she was in Congress. She lost her 2010 reelection to then-Republican Joe Walsh by fewer than 300 votes. The district was redrawn after the 2010 census and has been held by Democrats since 2013.
The race is yet another crowded primary for an open seat, but Bean, tech CEO Neil Khot and tech entrepreneur Junaid Ahmed have separated themselves from the rest of the field after each raised more than $1 million.
Khot is the top fundraiser, bringing in $2 million, but Bean has benefited from roughly $4 million in ad spending by Elect Chicago Women, a super PAC with ties to AIPAC.
The three candidates are largely aligned on policy, with Ahmed the most progressive. He supports Medicare for All and backs ending U.S. military aid to Israel.
Dan Tully, a former U.S. Army Reserve judge advocate who quit his civil service job in protest of Trump, and Kevin Morrison, a Cook County commissioner, are also running in the primary.
The seat opened when Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate.
The seat is safely Democratic, meaning the winner is likely to be elected to Congress in November.
GEN Z INFLUENCER IN CROWDED FIELD
Six candidates raised more than $1 million in the Democratic primary for Illinois' 9th congressional district, led by 26-year-old influencer Kat Abughazaleh's $3.4 million.
Abughazaleh's campaign website features "anti-endorsement" criticisms of Elon Musk, "Libs of TikTok" and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
State Senator Laura Fine and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss both raised $2.5 million, but Fine is the beneficiary of more than $6 million in ad spending — far more than any other candidate. Elect Chicago Women, a super PAC with ties to AIPAC, has spent more than $5 million in advertising on Fine's behalf.
Biss, who has led in every public opinion poll, has alluded to the outside spending in a campaign ad, saying, "MAGA money can buy a lot of noise, but it can't buy a record like mine."
Abughazaleh has said the race is between her and Biss, citing a recent poll. "Career politicians are not the answer and politics as usual will not save us," she said last week.
The other $1 million fundraisers include former FBI special agent Phil Andrew, a former hostage negotiator and gun-violence survivor backed by the gun safety group Brady PAC; Bushra Amiwala, a school board member; and state Representative Hoan Huynh.
The seat is represented by outgoing Representative Jan Schakowsky, 81, who announced her retirement amid a primary challenge from Abughazaleh.
The seat is safely Democratic. The winner of Tuesday's primary will likely be elected to Congress in November.
(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; editing by Scott Malone and Rosalba O'Brien)
