A historic wave of retirements is hitting the Illinois congressional delegation, and every statewide office is up for election. As we settle into a new year, here are three political storylines to watch for before the March primary: U.

will be nothing short of a banner year with so many races and a bumper crop of candidates vying for what could be an unprecedented number of open congressional seats.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Darin LaHood are up for reelection in 2026. Those races and others will have an impact around the state and locally.

DOGE is the Department of Government Efficiency run by Elon Musk that promised to save the federal government $1 trillion but, by its own admission, achieved far less. Its job cuts, many of them in Republican districts, sparked a backlash and proved to be one of the more controversial steps of Donald Trump’s second term so far.