For the first time in more than a decade, no incumbent is running in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District. And before current U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly was elected in 2013, the district had a string of representatives whose careers ended in less-than-virtuous circumstances.

Gus Savage lost in 1992 following accusations that he made improper sexual advances to a female Peace Corps volunteer. The candidate who beat Savage, Mel Reynolds, was later convicted of criminal sexual abuse and bank fraud. And Reynolds’ successor, Jesse Jackson Jr., spent about 18 months in federal prison for misusing $750,000 in campaign funds.

Kelly is ending her nearly 14-year tenure on her own terms — she ran for U.S. Senate and lost in the Democratic primary. But her choice to run for higher office means a new member of Congress for the district, which stretches from Chicago’s Far South Side through the south suburbs to Danville.

Enter Donna Miller, Mike Noack and Ashley Banks. All three are running to replace Kelly, but Miller, 61, a Cook County Board member and the Democratic Party nominee, is the favorite in a district that hasn’t sent a Republican to Congress since 1951, though the boundaries have been redrawn since then. Noack, 64, the Republican nominee, is a commercial truck driver from Bonfield who declined an interview with the Tribune and is running a “stealth campaign,” according to his campaign manager. Independent Banks, 41, of Kankakee County, is running as a write-in.

The race’s most competitive moment so far came in the March 17 Democratic primary, when Miller beat nine other candidates, including state Sens. Robert Peters and Willie Preston. She topped Jackson, who was attempting a political comeback, by 11 percentage points, a margin of fewer than 10,000 votes.

Miller has raised more than $2.6 million since July 1, 2025, and had about $102,000 on hand at the end of September, according to Federal Election Commission records. Noack has not reported any fundraising.

Miller, of Lynwood, was confident about the Nov. 3 election when she sat down Oct. 1 in her small second-floor campaign office in Flossmoor, surrounded by “Donna Miller for Congress” signs and a life-size cutout of herself wearing Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority letters.

If she wins in November, Miller said she plans to make it the district’s last open-seat race for years, as she intends to hold the seat for multiple terms.

“You don’t plan to not run,” she said. “My plan is to keep going as long as people want to keep me in office, and I want to make them proud of electing someone they can keep around.”

She even called this year’s race “practice” for 2028, when a presidential election to replace the term-limited President Donald Trump will top the ballot.

“We need to get people engaged in the process right now. And if it takes them practicing in ’26 to get ready for ’28, then that’s how I kind of look at it,” Miller said. “We need to make sure people are comfortable with voting, that they know they should vote, that they’re not being intimidated about voting.”

Healthcare at the center

All three candidates call healthcare a priority, but they differ on how to fix the system.

Miller, who chaired the board of Planned Parenthood of Illinois from 2017 to 2018, said she would work with Democratic leaders to reverse the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the tax and spending law Trump signed last year. She also wants to expand preventive care and supports a “Medicare for All framework.”

Healthcare is the centerpiece of her candidacy, as the issue has been top of mind for her during her eight years as a Cook County commissioner. Beyond Planned Parenthood, she has worked in medical sales and consulting since 2003. She sits on the Cook County Board Committee for Health and Hospitals.

On the county board, Miller led efforts in 2024 to fund a free countywide doula program for high-risk pregnancies and supported the county’s medical debt relief initiative. In 2023, she backed a resolution supporting federal Medicare and Medicaid coverage and sponsored a resolution supporting gender-affirming care.

“I’ve always been talking about the fact that this district has a large population of seniors, 55 and older,” Miller said. “So expanding prevention means giving other benefits as well, like hearing, vision and dental care. So that’s one of the other things I think will be added into what the new Affordable Care Act might look like.”

Noack’s campaign website says he wants to “convert health insurance companies to nonprofit organizations” and remove corporate shareholders, and that he does not believe in socialized medicine. Banks supports universal healthcare.

Seniors and affordability

Housing and access for seniors are another top priority for Miller. About 26% of the district’s residents are 60 or older, according to census data.

She wants to expand healthcare access for seniors, offer mortgage and rental assistance, and expand public transportation so older residents can more easily reach hospitals.

“Our plans for seniors obviously revolve around healthcare, because Medicare is under attack, Social Security benefits are under attack,” Miller said. “All these things are going to be part of the first, No. 1 initiatives that will be reversed in the positive way once we get control of the House.”

Noack’s campaign website does not list seniors as a campaign issue.

Miller also frames affordability largely through healthcare, which she said will be a priority when — not if — Democrats regain control of the House.

“Some people are just heartbroken right now because they can’t afford to do the things that they did at one time, or they don’t see a future,” Miller said. “That’s what I hope we can restore — at least some hope for the future where people feel if they are working, it’s not for nothing, it’s for something. And if they get sick, it’s not the end of their life.”

On gas prices, a top concern for voters nationally, Miller pointed to the federal farm bill. She said she supports blending more corn-based ethanol into gasoline through E15, which she said would help the district’s farmers and lower fuel costs.

Noack’s website also lists affordability as a priority. Besides lowering healthcare costs, he supports reversing increases in Illinois’ motor fuel tax, though that state tax is set by the General Assembly, not Congress.

Guns, immigration and Israel

On gun violence, Miller said she supports “common-sense gun laws” that would “reform what it looks like to even be able to get a gun.” In 2019, she supported a County Board resolution calling for universal background checks for gun owners.

On immigration, Miller said, “There has to be a path towards citizenship.” But she said the bigger problem is that naturalized citizens who are eligible to vote are afraid to.

“Everyone who has the right to vote should be able to come out and vote safely, securely and without feeling any kind of retribution,” Miller said.

During the primary, Miller’s opponents, including Jackson, criticized her for receiving support from people and groups tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group that backs both Democrats and Republicans.

About two-thirds of the $2 million she raised through late February came from people who had recently contributed to AIPAC or AIPAC-affiliated groups, records show. A super PAC, Affordable Chicago Now, which opponents described as an AIPAC front group, spent $4.4 million to support her.

Asked about the criticism, Miller pointed to the position she took during the primary. She also faulted Congress for having no say in the war in Iran.

“Just as I said during the whole primary, this is something the U.S. has been dealing with for quite some time. I am for a two-state solution,” Miller said. “We need to support our allies, but this Congress didn’t even get to weigh in on this war. That’s another unfortunate piece of how our government is dysfunctional.”

Building seniority

Looking ahead, Miller said she expects to be building seniority in the House and said she opposes congressional term limits because of Congress’ integral seniority system.

“In five years, I definitely see myself running for reelection at this point and I see myself having accomplished some of my goals that I set out to accomplish in Congress and using the platforms that I have and any expansive opportunities that might come forward,” she said.

Banks, the write-in candidate, did not collect enough signatures to get her name printed on the ballot. The former truck driver and entrepreneur attributed that to privacy concerns about the names she collected. Banks said she doesn’t consider herself an underdog, and she supports universal healthcare.

“Independents are not respected as they should be, meaning we bring value to the table,” Banks said. “We just do not choose between Democratic views and Republican views.”

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