Donna Miller projected to win Illinois 2nd District seat after campaign maimed by AIPAC spending

Donna Miller, a Cook County commissioner whose progressive values were questioned after a major pro-Israel group spent over $4 million supporting her, is projected to win the Illinois 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary election.

NBC News projected Miller to win the election at 8:14 p.m. CST. Miller beat nine other candidates, including former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and state Sen. Robert Peters, in a race dominated by outside super PAC spending from pro-Israel, pro-AI and pro-crypto lobbies.

The seat was held by Jackson Jr. from 1995-2012. Jackson resigned on Nov. 21, 2012 after being diagnosed with bipolar II disorder and being subject to an ethics investigation over his misuse of campaign funds. In February 2013, Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to multiple charges including wire fraud, and mail fraud in connection to misusing $750,000 in campaign funds for personal items. He served 17 months in federal prison.

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D) replaced Jackson Jr. after his resignation, and has held the seat since 2013. Last May, Kelly announced that she would not run for reelection and instead vie for the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).

Corporate spending

Corporate PAC spending dominated the race and funneled over $6 million against Peters, a progressive who received prominent endorsements from elected officials like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), among others.

IL02 primary super PAC spend (as of 3/11/26):

AIPAC pro Miller: $4.4M
Think Big (AI) pro Jackson: $1.4M
Fairshake (crypto) anti Peters: $817K
Progressive Promise pro Peters: $210K
National Nurses pro Peters: $100K
Working Families Party pro Peters: $100k#IL02 Total $7.1M pic.twitter.com/9lcF7nSLHt

— Frank Calabrese (@FrankCalabrese) March 12, 2026

Peters has been vocal on issues like Medicare for All, funding public housing and advocating for Palestinian human rights. While speaking alongside Sanders last week, Peters said his values contributed to the exorbitant corporate spending against his campaign.

.@RobertJPeters, Illinois state senator and Democratic candidate in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, says AIPAC, AI, and crypto PACs are spending millions to prevent his election to Congress because he’s been outspoken against them.

“I’ve been outspoken when it comes to… pic.twitter.com/15hajlQSzs

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) March 12, 2026

In January, Jackson Jr. wrote an opinion piece advocating for the benefits of artificial intelligence technology. Over the coming weeks, Leading the Future PAC, America’s largest AI super PAC, committed more than $1.4 million to get Jackson Jr. elected.

Groups and donors affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have also spent big on Miller’s campaign. Affordable Chicago Now! PAC, which has ties to AIPAC according to a report from WBEZ, spent roughly $4.4 million supporting Miller. AIPAC donors also accounted for 72% of Miller’s total receipts at the start of 2026. 

In a survey conducted by WBEZ last month, Miller refused to clearly answer whether she opposes U.S. aid to Israel, conditions on that aid, whether she believes Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip or if she denounces AIPAC support. 

In the same survey, Jackson Jr. answered “no” to opposing aid to Israel today and “yes” to the other three questions. Peters answered “yes” to all four. 

A Republican last held the 2nd District, which covers the South Side of Chicago and extends down across eastern Illinois, in 1953, so XXX will very likely win in November’s general election against Republican Mike Noack.

Other major Democratic candidates for the seat included Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Yukema Brown (projected to finish third) and state Sen. Willie Preston (projected to finish fifth).