Jesse Jackson Jr. leads the race in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District to replace Congresswoman Robin Kelly, according to a poll that sheds some light on issues that most concern voters.
According to Lester & Associates, a firm that had been used by former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and numerous Black elected officials in Illinois, 21 percent of 500 Democratic voters polled said they would vote for Jackson in the March 2026 Democratic Primary.
Water Reclamation Board Commissioner Yumeka Brown is second with 11 percent, and Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller is at 10 percent, according to the survey. State Sen. Robert Peters, who’s been endorsed by progressive activist David Hogg, polled at 4 percent.
About 43 percent of voters said they were undecided. The poll, conducted July 21 to 25, was paid for by the Friends of Jesse Jackson Jr. for Congress 2026 Exploratory Committee. The poll has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.5 percentage points.
Lester & Associates said that 84 percent of the poll was conducted by cell phone and 16 percent were conducted by landline. All survey respondents said they were “likely” to vote in the March 2026 Democratic primary election. The voters were polled from a listed voter sample and were 18 years of age and older.
Lester & Associates touts its experience in conducting public opinion polls in Chicago and elsewhere. The Washington D.C. based firm said it has conducted polling for former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, former Congressman Bobby Rush, Congressman Danny Davis and Congressman Jonathan Jackson.
The firm said it has conducted polling for 23 winning Congressional campaigns since 1992 including Jasmine Crocket for Congress in 2022 and Shomari Figures for Congress in 2024.
According to the poll for Jesse Jackson Jr., 19 percent of voters polled said inflation and the cost of living were their biggest concerns. Reducing crime was the second biggest concern among 14 percent of voters. About 12 percent of voters said creating better-paying jobs was important to them. And 10 percent of voters said building more affordable housing was a major concern.
Jackson is being viewed as the comeback candidate in the race. He represented the 2nd Congressional District for 17 years before he stepped down in 2012. He stayed out of the public spotlight for 10 years following his personal mental health challenges and his guilty plea of using campaign funds for personal expenses. He served a year in prison before he was released in 2015.
But a new generation of voters includes individuals too young to remember Jackson’s health and legal battles. Jackson has the highest profile name in the race for the 2nd Congressional District. His brother Jonathan, in the 2022 Democratic Primary, easily beat 16 contenders that included then-State Senator Jacqueline Collins and Alderman Pat Dowell.
Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. groomed son Jesse Jr. to succeed him as the next leader before health and legal problems began.
In the past year, Jackson has been on the comeback trail. He briefly served as radio host for WVON 1690 and now reportedly hosts a two-hour talk show on KBLA Radio in the Los Angeles area, offering analysis on issues and events.
Last month, Jackson’s campaign team told the Chicago Crusader Jackson was “seriously considering” running for his old seat and that fundraising for campaign donations would be a challenge.
In 2024 Jackson and his supporters mounted a public campaign to persuade then President Joe Biden to pardon him. Biden faced criticism after he pardoned his son Hunter Biden, and did nothing for Jackson.
Jackson hasn’t publicly announced his intention to run for his old Congressional seat, but on Sunday, August 3, Jackson’s exploratory committee and his supporters kicked off their campaign to obtain 10,000 signatures for his nominating petition. His campaign also plans to register 5,000 new voters in the 2nd Congressional District.
“His lifelong experiences as a social justice warrior and his multi-variegated accomplishments as a 17-year-long member of Congress make Jesse Jackson, Jr. the most qualified and ready-made of all the candidates who have announced their candidacy for Congress in the Democratic Primary election in 2026,” said former Congressman Bobby Rush, who is among several Black leaders urging Jackson to run.