The Democratic Party of Illinois is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the oldest extant state party in Illinois and one of just two recognized parties in the state, along with the Republican Party. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling the majority of Illinois's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, both houses of the state legislature, and the governorship.
Contents
History
The Democratic Party of Illinois took shape during the late 1830s. Prior to that time, Illinois did not have organized political parties; instead, political competition in the state was more personalist, with prominent factions centered on Governors Ninian Edwards and Shadrach Bond. As the Democratic and Whig parties began to form at the national level during the late 1820s and 1830s, Illinois politicians began sorting themselves accordingly and, in the summer of 1837, leading Democrats met to lay the groundwork for a Democratic Party organization in the state.
Before 2010, the party had been extremely successful in statewide elections for the past decade. In 1992, Carol Moseley Braun became the first African American woman to be elected to the United States Senate. Her election marked the first time Illinois had elected a woman, and the first time a Black person was elected as a Democratic Party candidate to the United States Senate. A second African American Democratic Senator, Barack Obama was elected in 2004 (the same seat that Senator Moseley-Braun once held), and later elected President of the United States in 2008. Democrats currently hold supermajorities in both the Illinois Senate and Illinois House of Representatives.
Organization and leadership
The Democratic Party of Illinois is run by a Democratic State Central Committee of 34 members, two from each of the state's 17 congressional districts. The Central Committee has four officers: a chairman, a vice-chair, a secretary, and a treasurer.
Illinois State House Representative Lisa Hernandez from the 2nd state district currently serves as the state party chairman.
Recent History of Committee Chairman
Calvin Sutker of Skokie served as state party chairman from 1985 to 1986, then lost his committeeman seat to reform Democrat Jeffrey Paul Smith. Sutker was succeeded by Vince Demuzio, who served from 1986 to 1990 and is credited with rebuilding the Illinois Democratic Party. Demuzio was then defeated by Gary LaPaille, then-chief of staff for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Madigan himself succeeded LaPaille, serving in the role until he stepped down in 2021. He was succeeded by U.S. Representative Robin Kelly. In 2022, Kelly was replaced by State Representative Lisa Hernandez.
State Central Committee
The 34 members of the State Central Committee are elected by voters in Democratic primary elections every four years, with one male and one female member from each congressional district. The below table lists members elected in 2022. New members will be elected in the 2026 elections.
Current elected officials
Members of Congress
Democrats have controlled both of Illinois's seats in the U.S. Senate since 2017:
Out of the 17 seats Illinois is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 14 are held by Democrats:
Statewide officials
Democrats control all six of the elected statewide offices:
State legislative leaders
President of the Illinois Senate: Don Harmon
Senate Majority Leader: Kimberly A. Lightford
Assistant Senate Majority Leader/President Pro Tempore: Bill Cunningham
Deputy Senate Majority Leader: Laura Murphy
Assistant Senate Majority Leaders: Linda Holmes, Dave Koehler, Iris Martinez, and Antonio Munoz.
Senate Majority Caucus Chair: Mattie Hunter
Deputy Senate Majority Caucus Chair: Jacqueline Y. Collins
Majority Caucus Whips: Omar Aquino, Michael Hastings, Napoleon Harris III, and Laura Fine.
Speaker of the House: Emanuel “Chris” Welch
House Majority Leader: Greg Harris
Deputy House Majority Leaders: Jehan Gordon-Booth, and Art Turner.
Assistant House Majority Leaders: Kelly M. Burke, Fred Crespo, Will Davis, Elizabeth Hernandez, Jay Hoffman, and Natalie Manley.
House Majority Conference Chairperson: Kathleen Willis
Mayors
As of 2026, Democrats control the mayor's offices in five of Illinois' ten largest cities:
Chicago: Brandon Johnson (1)
Aurora: John Laesch (2)
Rockford: Janessa Neal (acting) (5)
Peoria: Rita Ali (8)
Waukegan: Samuel D. Cunningham Jr (10)