SPRINGFIELD — Casting herself as an "underdog," U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Matteson, launched her campaign for the United States Senate on Tuesday.
Kelly
Kelly, 68, is the second major Democrat to throw her hat into what's expected to be a crowded ring to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, who announced two weeks ago that he would not seek a sixth term in the upper chamber.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton declared her candidacy less than a day after Durbin's announcement and quickly rolled out endorsements from the state's top two Democrats: Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
Other Democrats are expected to give the race a look, including Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Rep. Lauren Underwood. State Treasurer Mike Frerichs on Monday said that he would not run for Durbin's seat.
On the Republican side, Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, has expressed interest.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly greet people during a breakfast meeting with an American Federation of Government Employees group on Feb. 12, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Kelly's entry into the race once again puts her on the opposite side of Pritzker and his political operation. The billionaire governor backed opponents to Kelly when she ran for chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois in 2021 and 2022. Kelly won the first race but dropped her bid for a full term when Pritzker's candidate, state Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, secured the necessary votes.
In this race, Stratton is expected to receive financial backing from Pritzker in addition to his endorsement.
In a 2 1/2 minute introductory video, Kelly, looking directly at the camera, acknowledged her unfavored status, saying that "you could say I've been an underdog my whole life."
She then weaved in elements of her life story, described the "early mornings and long days" working at her family's "mom-and-pop" grocery store and working herself through college to the legislative battles she waged against the gun lobby in Springfield and Washington.
Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., speaks as the House of Representatives debates the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019.
"But our situation now, this is a whole different moment," Kelly said. "That's why I'm running for the United States Senate: to fight for health care that doesn't bankrupt families, for wages that lift people up, for housing that's affordable, for neighborhoods safe from gun violence. These are the issues and the people I'm fighting for."
"Donald Trump, he may think he's a king and can order people around," Kelly said. "But I don't take orders from him. I'm standing up for you because I'll keep fighting however I have to."
Kelly, who's served in the U.S. House since 2013, brings a unique perspective to the race. Her congressional district stretches from Chicago's South Side and south suburbs all the way down to Danville, making her one of the few federal lawmakers who represents the city, suburbs and downstate.
Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., speaks with reporters about the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act, during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Washington.
She recently hosted a town hall on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, which is Republican Rep. Mary Miller's turf. It's part of a national effort by Democrats to hold meetings in Republican districts.
"My philosophy is that whether you are urban, suburban or rural, most people want a job and a roof over their head, they want healthcare, they want a good education for their kids," Kelly told the crowd. "People bring up the same concerns and it's around a lot of those kitchen table issues."
A native New Yorker, Kelly first came to Illinois to attend Bradley University in Peoria, where she subsequently lived for two decades.
After relocating to the south suburbs, Kelly was elected to two terms in the Illinois House. She resigned in 2007 to become then-Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias' chief of staff. Kelly sought Giannoulias' job in 2010 when he opted to run for U.S. Senate. She lost the general election to Dan Rutherford.
In 2013, she won a special election to the congressional seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr. Her campaign emphasized the issue of gun control, a message that was backed up by millions from a political action committee bankrolled by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
In 2021, Kelly won a razor-thin election to succeed former House Speaker Michael Madigan as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. She received Durbin's backing and defeated a candidate supported by Pritzker.
But the honeymoon was short. Just over a year later, Kelly was deposed at the behest of Pritzker and his allies, who expressed longstanding concern that she was not the best fit for the job since she's a federal officeholder, which means she is barred from raising or controlling “soft money” used in state and local races. Kelly, facing certain defeat, dropped her bid for reelection as party chair.
Kelly will likely begin the race at a financial disadvantage. She had about $2 million in her campaign account as of the end of March. Krishnamoorthi, who's expected to launch a campaign soon, had about $19 million in the bank.
Stratton did not report any numbers, but is expected to receive support from Pritzker.
Two weeks in, the race to succeed Durbin continues to take shape.
In addition to Kelly's entry, Frerichs took himself out of consideration after flirting with a bid.
Frerichs, the state's chief investment officer since 2015, told supporters in an email that he had "aspired to follow in Sen. Durbin’s footsteps."
But, the father of a teenager and two-year-old twins said he was "not willing to travel to Washington, D.C. 30-some weeks a year and spend so many nights away from my children."
"There is a mess in Washington right now and we need to send someone who will fight for all of us in Illinois, but that person will not be me," Frerichs said, hinting that he would instead run for a fourth term as treasurer.
