Illinois New Members 2023

Rep.-elect Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.-1)

DATE OF BIRTH: Jan. 7, 1966
RESIDENCE: Chicago
OCCUPATION: businessman
EDUCATION: B.A., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; MBA, Northwestern University
FAMILY: wife, Marilyn Jackson; three children

• Jonathan L. Jackson will serve as the representative for Illinois’s 1st Congressional District after defeating his Republican opponent Eric Carlson.

The middle child of famed civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson and Jacqueline Lavinia Jackson, Jonathan Jackson will fill the vacancy left by longtime Rep. Bobby Rush, who retired after nearly three decades in Congress. 

A 56-year-old activist and businessman, Jackson’s first-day priorities will be addressing gun violence, the opioid crisis in the rural and suburban parts of the South Side Chicago district and raising wages. 

“My DNA is built around fighting for social change,” Jackson wrote on his campaign website. “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was my Godfather, and I am honored with the middle name of Luther. I carry it very proudly because of who Dr. King was to this world and more personally to me and my family.” 

— Adam Barnes

Rep.-elect Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.-3)

DATE OF BIRTH: June 2, 1983
RESIDENCE: Chicago
OCCUPATION: state representative
EDUCATION: B.A., Northeastern Illinois University
FAMILY: husband, Boris

• Delia Ramirez will serve as the congressional representative of Illinois’s 3rd District, making history as the first Latina elected to Congress from a Midwestern state.

Born in Chicago, Ramirez is the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants. Growing up, her parents worked low-wage jobs to provide for their family.

Her website explains that Ramirez realized at a young age how important social services were, particularly housing assistance, food and services for the undocumented. She credits this, along with her parents’ struggles, as the reason she entered public service.

She was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2018.

Much of Ramirez’s focus has been on affordable housing, but she was also the lead sponsor of state legislation to expand Medicaid coverage to include seniors regardless of their immigration status. Her campaign also promises to support federal legislation to codify abortion rights.

— Cheyanne Daniels

Rep.-elect Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.-13)

DATE OF BIRTH: March 1977
RESIDENCE: Springfield, Ill.
OCCUPATION: former chief of staff, Office of Management and Budget
EDUCATION: B.A., University of Illinois
FAMILY: single

• Democrat Nikki Budzinski defeated Republican Regan Deering in Illinois’s 13th Congressional District, flipping the historically red seat after it was redrawn more favorable to Democrats.

She will succeed Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), who ran in a nearby district but lost his primary to another incumbent.

Budzinski may be new to Congress, but she’s not a stranger to Washington. 

She interned for former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) and Planned Parenthood, and since then, Budzinski has worked for campaigns, unions, a governor and in the federal government.

During the first six months of the Biden administration, Budzinski served as chief of staff in the Office of Management and Budget.

She previously worked for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) for more than three years, including as a senior adviser during his time in office in addition to roles on Pritzker’s campaign and transition team.

— Zach Schonfeld

Rep.-elect Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.-17)

DATE OF BIRTH: March 18, 1976
RESIDENCE: Moline, Ill.
OCCUPATION: meteorologist
EDUCATION: B.S., Northern Illinois University
FAMILY: partner, Shawn Starks

• Rep.-elect Eric Sorensen (D) will replace retiring Rep. Cheri Bustos (D) in the 17th Congressional District of Illinois after defeating Republican Esther Joy King by more than 3 points.
Sorensen will become the first Illinois congressperson who identifies as gay and says he experienced discrimination at times during his career as a TV weatherman.
The meteorologist became the chief weatherman at a Rockford, Ill., television station at age 27 and has worked a similar job in Moline, Ill., for the past seven years.
In Rockford, Sorensen began Project Tornado, which connects schools with meteorologists to educate students about severe weather and help them feel safer. The project reached 50,000 children.
Sorensen has said that rising costs is the most important issue facing his local community and supports bipartisan efforts to bring down gas, food and health care prices. He is also concerned about reproductive rights and sustainable jobs in Illinois.
— Chloe Folmar