Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller officially launched her campaign Tuesday for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, citing her family's deep-rooted legacy of public service and a commitment to expanding healthcare access and economic opportunity.
Miller introduced her candidacy through a campaign video that highlights her personal and professional journey—from growing up in Chicago in a family shaped by the Great Migration, to raising her own family in the south suburbs, to now seeking to bring that generational story to Capitol Hill.
“My great-grandfather was a Pullman Porter; he helped build the Black middle class. My grandmother, mother, and sister were all teachers, and my dad wore this country’s uniform his entire career,” Miller said in the video. “I’ve carried that legacy forward.”
First elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2018, Miller has focused her tenure on healthcare equity, particularly for women and communities of color. She says those priorities will remain central to her platform as she seeks to represent the 2nd District in Congress.
“I believe in an America where everyone who works hard can afford the essentials, where healthcare is driven by medicine, not politics, and where the long march toward equality—in its many forms—moves forward, not backward,” she said.
Miller criticized what she described as federal policies that favor the wealthy at the expense of working families, and said the urgency of the moment is what’s driving her campaign. “Washington is tearing up so much of our progress,” she said. “I refuse to let them. I’m running for Congress because I am determined to rise to the challenge of this fateful moment.”
Her campaign launch has already drawn endorsements from elected leaders across Cook County, signaling growing support for her candidacy in the crowded Democratic field.
Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District stretches from Chicago’s South Side into parts of the south suburbs and includes a diverse cross-section of communities. The seat is currently held by Rep. Robin Kelly, who has not yet announced her intentions for the 2024 election cycle.
Miller’s entry into the race adds a familiar name with strong local roots and a track record of legislative work focused on public health and social equity.