Chicago, IL — As the Democratic Party of Illinois heads into the 2026 midterms, Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez recaps a year of successful local organizing, municipal elections, voter engagement and Republican accountability initiatives.
“We haven’t stopped organizing locally since I was elected Chair three years ago, building party infrastructure in every corner of this state. This past year, our party got bigger, better and stronger,” said Chair Lisa Hernandez. “With right-wing extremism on the rise, aided by Illinois’ gutless GOP Congressional delegation, DPI has been unwavering in our work to meet voters where they are in communities across Illinois. We look ahead to next year’s midterms where we’ll continue that fight for Democratic values.”
Municipal wins
In partnership with the Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association and regional advocates, the Party celebrated the incredible success of its 2025 municipal program. Out of 280 candidates supported by the Party, 222 were successfully elected–earning the comprehensive electoral program a 79% success rate—a 6% increase from 2023 efforts.
Voters were clear in rejecting the Republican platform, and DPI’s mail and digital advertising investment reached hundreds of thousands of them in target regions across Illinois. As part of the program, DPI launched https://votelocalillinois.com/, a candidate lookup tool to help voters find and support endorsed Democrats in their communities.
Party building
In February, Chair Hernandez welcomed then-newly elected DNC Chair Ken Martin to DPI Headquarters, where they were joined by a roundtable of Democratic county chairs and executives for a discussion on organizing, voter engagement, and the work ahead in 2026. DPI also hosted DNC Vice Chair Artie Blanco to address members of organized labor to strengthen support for working families.
The Party launched its first ever Data Roadshow this summer to train Democrats across the state on how to use data to improve voter outreach—hosting training sessions for County Chairs and precinct committeepersons for over 30 counties.
DPI revamped its volunteer organizing program, hosting actions that have included Chair Hernandez, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (IL-02), and former U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (IL-17), and have activated hundreds of new volunteers across the state.
This summer, alongside a coalition of Illinois Democrats and DNC Chair Ken Martin, Chair Hernandez stood in solidarity with Texas House Democrats in their brave efforts to fight racist, Trump-ordered redistricting.
In October, DPI hosted its second downstate summit, and first-ever western Illinois summit in November to encourage Illinois Democrats to get involved–and stay invested in—state party operations, and offer attendees the opportunity to speak with statewide candidates running for U.S. Senate and Illinois Comptroller, as well as countywide candidates.
In coordination with the Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association (IDCCA), DPI collected over 17,000 petition signatures, and filed nominating papers to secure ballot access for statewide incumbents Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Treasurer Mike Frerichs.
This year, the Party also launched its first-ever Beauty of Politics: A Women’s Town Hall Salon Conversation series, with two events in local and culturally-resonant spaces that featured Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (IL-02) to discuss how politics show up in the daily lives of Black women.
ILGOP accountability
Days after Donald Trump’s inauguration and prior to Operation Midway Blitz, Chair Hernandez, the first Latina chair of the DPI, published an op-ed in the Chicago Sun-Times, drawing attention to the racism in MAGA’s immigration rhetoric and emphasizing the important role immigrant communities play in our state. Throughout the year, the Chair has continuously used her voice to call out inhumane immigration tactics and xenophobia—particularly asking MAGA Republicans “what happened to the ‘worst of the worst’?”
DPI has shone a light on the ILGOP’s betrayal of working families, specifically U.S. Representatives Mary Miller, Darin LaHood and Mike Bost. From their celebration of Donald Trump’s proclaimed “Golden Age of America,” while Illinoisans lose their jobs to a disgusting press conference outside of the late Emma Shafer’s home, DPI has repeatedly called out the ILGOP’s commitment to standing on the wrong side of history.
That drumbeat has included highlighting reporting of the Big, Ugly Bill’s inception to its passing–including a multi-platform digital ad campaign highlighting the three Illinois GOP members of Congress who shamefully voted in support. The program reached over 1.2 million residents of the 12th, 15th and 16th Congressional Districts.
While Republicans strip health care and food assistance from the very people whose lives they swore they’d improve, the state party has continuously asked why Illinois Republicans have remained silent while Trump’s erratic trade wars, mass layoffs, and defunding of violence prevention programs (while wasting taxpayers’ dollars on National Guard deployments) serve as additional slaps in the face to working families, farmers and small business owners. This is in addition to their silence as MAGA enjoys over-the-top celebrations while jobs shrink and inflation rises.
In addition, the Party brought attention to lapses in SNAP when MAGA held our federal government hostage and to the ILGOP’s refusal to protect health care access by allowing ACA subsidies to lapse.
Last month, as part of continued support to Democratic county chairs on ballot access and GOP accountability efforts, the Party supported Knox County Democrats Chair and Democratic State Central Committee Member Pam Davidson in filing objectors petitions against Republican candidates who seemingly acted in bad faith to get on voters’ ballots for the 2026 General Primary Election.
Annual gala
Amidst a federal government shutdown, and with help from now-Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Chair Lisa Hernandez rallied over a thousand Democrats from across the state for the Party’s third annual gala at the Hilton Chicago. For the third consecutive year, the event raised approximately $1 million for the Party, which will be used for the Party’s 2026 organizing.
Candidate recruitment and training
DPI initiated a rigorous candidate and operative training program to coach first time candidates and activists on the core competencies of running a winning campaign. The training series consists of 14 training sessions, starting in the summer with featured guests and dozens of participants, and spanning through the fall and winter, on everything from fundraising, engagement with organized labor and compliance to direct voter contact.
Additionally, the Party recruited 350 Illinoisans through our statewide texting program to be a volunteer, Precinct Committeeperson or candidate for county board and countywide seats.
