KENWOOD — For a second time on Tuesday, Jay Travis will try to unseat state Rep. Christian Mitchell in the 26th District.
Travis came within 6 percentage points of defeating Mitchell in the 2014 Democratic primary election and has picked up support she is hoping will close the gap.
Mitchell took office in 2013 and was heavily supported by Will Burns, who had vacated the seat to become 4th Ward alderman.
He won re-election in November 2014 with the support of Burns and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Burns has since dropped out of politics for a job at AirBnB and Preckwinkle is throwing many of her political resources behind Kim Foxx in her effort to unseat Anita Alvarez at Cook County State’s Attorney.
Travis has also gained the support since her last campaign, picking up support from the Chicago Teachers Union and Ald. Brendan Reilly.
Travis lost in 2014 by 556 votes and the support of Reilly could be the key to closing that gap.
Travis did not do well at the northern end of the district in Reilly’s ward, where it can be difficult to reach voters living in high rises, and Mitchell took more than three-quarters of the vote in the 42nd Ward.
Both candidates have campaigned as champions for public education in Chicago and it’s unclear yet whether Travis’ message will resonate with voters strongly enough to clinch a victory for her.
The 26th District races had been some of the most expensive in the state for several election cycles, attracting big donations from education advocacy groups and unions. But the neighboring 5th District race between incumbent Ken Dunkin and attorney Juliana Stratton has overshadowed the 26th District, attracting donations orders of magnitude larger.
The Republicans have not yet fielded a candidate the 26th District and whoever wins the Tuesday primary election is expected to face little opposition in the general election.
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