Democratic incumbents hold onto congressional seats in Chicago and suburbs

Democratic incumbents representing congressional districts in Chicago and the suburbs — areas that have stayed reliably blue in recent election cycles, and in some instances, for decades — held onto their seats Tuesday, early returns show.

Among those on their way to another two-year term is U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, the Chicago Democrat who has held the 5th District seat for 17 years, but who is now among a crowded field of candidates for the city’s mayor.

Less senior members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez of the 3rd District, also appeared to easily fend off challenges from Republican opponents.

Here is a district-by-district breakdown of races in six congressional districts:

1st District

With an estimated 61% of the vote counted in the 1st District, Democratic Rep. Jonathan Jackson of Chicago bested Republican Christian Maxwell with 67% of the total, according to unofficial results.

The Associated Press declared Jackson the winner just before 8 p.m.

Jackson, son of the late civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife Jacqueline, has held the seat since 2023. He had no opposition in the Democratic primary.

He was among area congressmen to inspect the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview last December after being denied entry to a Chicago South Loop ICE facility months earlier.

Jackson was challenged by Maxwell, a Chicago businesswoman, marketing consultant and homeschooling mother of four, who said families in the district were concerned about public safety, education, affordability, housing, taxes, and “feel overlooked by the political establishment.”

The district includes much of Chicago’s South Side, Cook County suburbs such as Alsip, Harvey and Orland Park, along with parts of Will and Kankakee counties.

3rd District

With an estimated 59% of ballots counted in the 3rd District, Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez of Chicago beat Republican Angel Oakley of Wheaton with 76% of the vote, according to unofficial returns.

Ramirez was declared the winner by The Associated Press at 9 p.m.

A former state lawmaker first elected to Congress in 2022, Ramirez is one of the more progressive members of the House, describing herself as “a staunch advocate of housing as a human right, healthcare for all, climate justice, and the fight to preserve and protect our democracy.”

She was opposed by Oakley, a former Winfield village trustee who owns a marketing and communications firm. She campaigned as a moderate Republican — describing herself as “a conservative moderate who leads with American values, love and compassion” — and tried to tout her independent credentials especially as she stumped for votes in the Chicago portions of the district.

The district, which includes much of the city’s Northwest Side, stretches to parts of suburban Cook and DuPage counties, including Elk Grove Village, Addison, Bartlett and West Chicago.

5th District

With an estimated 66% of ballots counted in the 5th District, Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley defeated Republican Tommy Hanson with 76% of the vote, according to unofficial results.

The Associated Press declared Quigley the winner just after 8 p.m.

Quigley, who has represented the district since 2009, ran for reelection at the same time he’s been campaigning in the crowded field of declared candidates for Chicago mayor.

He entered the mayoral race in June after previously ruling out a run four years ago due to the war in Ukraine and what he saw as his role to safeguard democracy and fight for American values abroad.

Quigley is co-chair of the House Ukrainian Caucus, a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, and earlier served on the House Select Committee on Intelligence until 2022.

He was challenged by perennial candidate Hanson, a Chicago commercial real estate broker who lost to Quigley in the last four general elections and to Rahm Emanuel in 2008. Hanson moderated his tone somewhat from previous campaigns, though remains an ardent supporter of the Trump administration’s policies.

The district runs from Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood through the heart of the Northwest suburbs in Cook County and into southern Lake County.

6th District

With an estimated 62% of ballots counted in the 6th District, Democratic Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove led Republican Niki Conforti of Glen Ellyn with 63% of the vote, according to unofficial returns.

He was declared the winner by The Associated Press just after 9:30 p.m.

The contest was a rematch, after Casten defeated Conforti by an 8-point margin in the 2024 general election. Each fended off primary challengers in March.

The campaign was marked by starkly different political approaches between Casten, a former energy industry entrepreneur seeking a fifth term, and Conforti, an energy consultant making her third bid for Congress.

They especially differed on economic policy. Both said targeted tariffs on foreign-made goods could be effective tools, but they disagreed on the effectiveness and legality of the taxes implemented by President Donald Trump.

The district stretches from eastern DuPage County — taking in parts of Elmhurst and Lombard — to southern Cook County and the Far Southwest Side of Chicago.

10th District

With an estimated 53% of ballots counted in the 10th District, Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider had about 70% of the vote over Republican Carl Lambrecht, according to unofficial results.

The Associated Press declared Schneider the winner just after 10 p.m.

Schneider, of Highland Park, has represented the district since 2017 after an initial term that ran from 2013 to 2015. Chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition on Capitol Hill, Schneider easily fended off a primary challenge from his left in March, defeating Mundelein business owner Morgan Coghill by 58 percentage points.

A member of the House Ways and Means and Foreign Affairs committees, Schneider said affordability is the most pressing issue in the district, and argued that Trump’s trade policies created uncertainty and raised costs for families, farmers, manufacturers and small businesses.

Lambrecht, 93, of Highland Park, is an optical engineer and GOP precinct committee representative who didn’t mount much of a campaign. He didn’t have a campaign website, social media pages or public appearances. He also didn’t report any campaign fundraising or spending to the Federal Election Commission.

The district covers a broad swath of Lake County, stretching as far north as the state line at Hebron east to Lake Michigan and southeast into Wheeling, Northbrook and Wilmette in Cook County.

14th District

With an estimated 70% of ballots counted in the 14th District, Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville was ahead of Republican Jim Marter of Oswego with 64% of the vote, according to unofficial returns.

She was declared the winner by The Associated Press just after 9:30 p.m.

The election was a rematch between Underwood, a registered nurse first elected to Congress in 2018, and Marter, a software consultant who lost by 10 percentage points in 2024.

Underwood said she would pursue an agenda focused on affordability and accountability and help Congress “resume its role as a separate co-equal branch of government” should Democrats flip the House in the midterms.

Marter, a former Oswego Public Library board member and Kendall County Republican Party chair, won the GOP primary for the 14th District seat in March. He also ran in primaries for the 14th District in 2022 and 2020; for the 16th District in 2018; and for U.S. Senate in 2016.

The district encompasses parts of Kane, Will, DeKalb, Kendall, LaSalle, Bureau and Putnam counties, including all or parts of Plainfield, Joliet, Aurora and Sycamore.

cplacek@dailyherald.com