29.4%: Biss' primary share sets stage for 9th District showdown

Illinois voters in the 9th District will cast ballots on Election Day to choose their next U.S. Representative. The race pits Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss against Arlington Heights pastor John Elleson.

The contest follows a contentious Democratic primary in May. Biss won the nomination after finishing first in a 15-candidate field with 29.4% of the vote. Elleson secured his spot on the general election ballot by defeating three other Republican challengers.

Biss has held the Evanston mayoral seat since 2021. Prior to that, he served six years in the Illinois State Senate from 2013 to 2019 and two years in the Illinois House from 2011 to 2013. His 2018 gubernatorial campaign ended with a second-place finish in the Democratic primary behind Gov. JB Pritzker. He centers his current campaign on immigration, affordability, and protecting democracy.

Elleson is a local pastor who has previously sought this congressional seat. In 2018, he lost to incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky by a wide margin. In 2022, he was removed from the ballot because he failed to collect enough valid signatures on his nominating petitions. His 2026 campaign focuses on curbing violence, immigration, and stopping democratic socialism.

The 9th District spans the Far North Side of Chicago up to the North Shore. The district then bends sharply west to include areas around Crystal Lake and Algonquin. It has not elected a Republican to Congress since 1946.