Chicago, IL – On Aug , the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) and the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association (IDCCA) are announcing a statewide candidate recruitment and training program to build a bench of diverse Illinoisans interested in running for local municipal offices. DPI and IDCCA are engaging potential candidates through a statewide text message recruitment program, along with regional virtual tables of community activists, labor representatives, and local party members across Illinois to organize local candidate recruitment drives. The program’s candidate interest form, Run Local Illinois, is a channel to collect candidate interest and to organize for comprehensive ballot access and a training program in the fall. The goal is to build a pipeline of qualified, passionate candidates with a history of serving their communities and standing up for democratic values. Twenty-four hours into the program launch, and nearly 700 prospective candidates have been identified with 25% being people of color, 10% LGBTQ+, and 18% with a labor background.

“Our candidate recruitment efforts for 2025 build upon the work that DPI has been committed to for the last two years under my leadership and underscores our core belief: local elections matter. Last year, we saw how important it was to offer our support in local races as extreme Republicans turned their sights to school and library boards around the state. This cycle, we’re pooling time, money and resources into our coordinated campaign, Organize Illinois 2024. Starting this week, we’re already connecting with potential candidates for next year. Our values are under siege at every level of government, and it’s crucial that Illinois Democrats work together to defend our communities. I’m grateful to IDCCA for their continued partnership, and I look forward to seeing Democrats run and win these races next year with our help,” said DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez.

“This year’s effort continues IDCCA’s work of recruiting and electing Democrats at every level of government. For years, we’ve worked strategically to recruit talented Illinoisans and get them across the finish line, and we’re excited to continue our partnership with the Democratic Party of Illinois. Working together across the state, we are safeguarding our values, ensuring all Illinoisans are represented and that our government works for everyone,” said IDCCA President Mark Guethle.

Driven by input from County Democratic Party Chairs and local party stakeholders, the program will focus on finding strong Democratic candidates to fill identified vacancies in county and other local level offices.