The Illinois General Assembly has a number of primary races on Tuesday that could eventually bring fresh faces to the statehouse as some lawmakers leave the legislature to chase higher office or because they’ve had enough of Springfield politics altogether.

All 118 state House seats are on the ballot, in addition to 39 of the 59 state Senate seats, and some of these races have seen an infusion of money from corporate-backed political action committees. That includes a PAC co-founded by a renowned gun violence prevention activist, contributions from billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker’s political network and a $50,000 cash infusion from the state attorney general.

One veteran Democratic lawmaker faces primary opponents after a federal corruption case ended last year in a mistrial before he admitted wrongdoing to avoid further prosecution and jail time. One Republican legislator is stepping down from a district seat that could now be in play for Democrats. Another GOP lawmaker, who shares the second-highest rank in the Illinois House Republican Caucus, faces a tough primary against two opponents in her downstate district.

Both chambers of the legislature are controlled by Democrats, and by wide margins — 78 to 40 in the House and 40 to 19 in the Senate.

Four Democrats in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area are competing in a relatively big-budget primary to succeed state Rep. Margaret Croke, who is running for comptroller.

Political newcomer Karim Lakhani’s campaign has been largely funded by his family and its businesses — raising more than $426,000 by the start of this year and far outpacing opponents. He has the backing of some labor groups, including the Chicago Teachers Union.

Paul Kendrick, endorsed by Croke and the district’s Democratic state senator, Sara Feigenholtz, has held leadership roles at nonprofits and the local chapter of Indivisible Chicago. He is one of four legislative candidates statewide benefiting from a PAC funded by Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook.

A former legal counsel and policy adviser to former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Mac LeBuhn, is running on his City Hall experience and his staunch support of ethics reform.

And Litcy Kurisinkal is a former Local School Council chair and human rights advocate who campaigned for then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential run.

North along the lakefront, another competitive field of five Democrats is vying for the open seat representing several Chicago neighborhoods, including Uptown. State Rep. Hoan Huynh is vacating the 13th District seat as he runs to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Congress.

Adam Braun, who led fundraising at the start of this year with a little over $240,000, served as deputy attorney general under Attorney General Kwame Raoul for five years until 2024. He has Raoul’s endorsement.

But Braun’s campaign has drawn scrutiny for its ties to corporate PACs. A PAC backed by DraftKings — a company that was a client of Braun’s lobbying firm at the time he was there — has spent more than $250,000 supporting Braun and opposing rival James O’Brien. The DraftKings-backed PAC had poured close to $1.9 million into 10 races this primary cycle as of last week. The Meta-backed PAC has also spent heavily in the race.

O’Brien, who had $139,000 at the start of the year, worked on education policy in Springfield, including on the legislation for “evidence-based funding” that now helps guide the K-12 state budget. Most recently, he’s served as a legal and policy adviser to a member of the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates utilities, according to his LinkedIn page.

Endorsed by Schakowsky, Demi Palecek had $14,000 on hand at the start of the year but has since received more than $100,000 from a PAC co-founded by gun-violence-prevention activist David Hogg, records show. A National Guard member, Palecek said in the fall she would refuse orders from Republican President Donald Trump’s administration to assist with the administration’s immigration enforcement actions — and has since said she is “under investigation in the military” as a result.

Community organizer Sunjay Kumar, who had $51,000 to start the year, was among seven people detained after a planned civil-disobedience action at Chicago’s West Loop Target in late January amid demands that the retailer publicly denounce ICE. Among his focuses, he said, are immigration rights, LGBTQ rights and public safety.

Ridge Knapp, a Gen Z data analyst who previously worked in the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and on the Harris 2024 campaign, said he is “a young progressive running to keep the seat in progressive hands and bring a new generation’s perspective.” He had $33,000 to start the year.

On the West Side and in parts of the western suburbs, four Chicago Democrats are competing to fill the seat of state Rep. La Shawn Ford, who is running in a crowded field for a congressional seat to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis.

Latonya Mitts, daughter of veteran Ald. Emma Mitts, 37th, has served as chief of staff for state Rep. Jawaharial Williams. She said she learned from her mother’s more than 25 years on the City Council what “a great servant leader” looks like, and would focus on youth advocacy in Springfield.

Shantel Franklin, currently on leave from her job as a legislative liaison in Raoul’s office, grew up experiencing homelessness and has worked in community outreach. She said she would focus on housing and education policy. On Jan. 20, Franklin received a $25,000 contribution from Raoul’s campaign, followed by a $25,000 loan from his campaign on March 3. She ended 2025 with about $32,580 on hand, while Mitts finished the year with roughly $39,900.

The Rev. John Harrell, pastor of two Chicago-area Baptist churches and president of Black Men United — an organization that advocates for formerly incarcerated people and connecting youths with jobs — would focus on lowering the cost of living, from property taxes to prescription drugs. Harrell ended 2025 with about $18,300 on hand.

Jill Bush works as the director of community engagement for Ald. Chris Taliaferro, 29th, and said she wants to “help pass some laws that are going to sustain our community” — including working across the aisle on taxes, which she called too high. She ended 2025 with about $6,000 on hand.

In a state Senate district covering parts of Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs, incumbent Democrat Emil Jones III faces two primary challengers for the first time in his 17 years in office after fighting a federal case in which he was accused of taking bribes from a red-light camera company executive in exchange for protecting the company from adverse legislation in Springfield.

The case ended in a mistrial last year, after which Jones entered into a deferred prosecution agreement that included admitting he made false statements to the FBI.

Jones told the Tribune he has been encouraged to run again, and that others believe his case was “a setup” and an example of “overreach by the federal government.” Going forward, Jones said he’d continue to be “a huge supporter” for safety-net hospitals and help maintain the hundreds of millions of dollars the state has provided to community violence intervention groups, and look for ways to expand those programs.

His two Democratic challengers are Ahmed Karrar of Orland Park and Kenny Williams of Chicago.

Karrar is an attorney and community development worker who was raised in Michigan, and is the son of Sudanese immigrants. He got his start in politics as a volunteer intern for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. He said his focus would be on improving “faith in government,” including pro-union policies and pushing for child care incentives.

Williams, who works as a barber instructor and operates a cosmetology school, wants to push for policies strengthening small businesses. He noted that areas just east of the district have seen noticeable economic development while the western portions have not.

Jones ended 2025 with about $160,000 in his campaign account, while Karrar had more than $109,000. Williams reported no money on hand at the end of last year.

In the northwest suburbs, two Republicans and one Democrat are competing to replace Republican state Sen. Donald DeWitte, who chose not to seek reelection after serving since 2018.

Republican Jessica Breugelmans, a former teacher from Geneva endorsed by DeWitte, had about $39,700 in her campaign account at the end of December. She cited her first job working for her family’s manufacturing business when she was 14, teaching in public and private schools and travel advising, in saying she would focus on education and cost-of-living issues. As a Republican alternative to Democratic affordability proposals, she opposes “new tax hikes.”

Republican Danielle Penman, a nurse from St. Charles who has also raised money to help elect other Kane County Republicans, had about $14,350 on hand at the end of last year. As a health care professional, she supports women who have experienced pregnancy loss. She advocates for school choice and better vocational pathways for students who don’t pursue college.

The lone Democrat in the race is Michele Clark of Algonquin, director of development for a school district food pantry. She had about $29,000 in her campaign coffers at year’s end. She said she would push for helping small businesses be more profitable if she’s elected. She said she would also prioritize bringing down the cost of child care by offering tax benefits to corporations if they offer funding or a reimbursement as a benefit for it.

In another competitive Senate contest, the Democratic primary race to replace state Sen. Laura Fine of Glenview, who is also running for Schakowsky’s seat, includes Patrick Hanley, who is endorsed by Schakowsky, and attorney and policy advocate Rachel Ruttenberg. The district primarily covers parts of the north suburbs.

Also competitive are two Democratic primary races on Chicago’s North Side. State Rep. Jaime Andrade, who has been in the House since 2013, goes up against Miguel Alvelo Rivera, a community activist from Albany Park. And Feigenholtz, who was in the House for about 25 years before moving to the Senate, where she’s served since 2020, squares off against community activist Nick Uniejewski.

And in a western Illinois race, deputy GOP leader Norine Hammond, who shares the second-highest ranking of the 40 Republicans in the Illinois House, faces two primary challengers: Josh Higgins and Bailey Templeton.