Willie Preston - Wikiwand

American politician (born 1985)

Born (1985-02-01) February 1, 1985 (age 41)

EducationChicago State University
Roosevelt University

Willie Preston
Preston at candidate forum in 2026

Member of the Illinois Senate from the 16th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 11, 2023
Preceded by	Jacqueline Y. Collins

Personal details
Born	(1985-02-01) February 1, 1985 (age 41)
Party	Democratic
Education	Chicago State University Roosevelt University

Willie Preston (born February 1, 1985)^[1] is an American politician and activist serving as a member of the Illinois Senate for the 16th district. Elected in November 2022, he assumed office on January 11, 2023.

Preston attended Chicago State University and Roosevelt University. He was a local school council member for Scott Joplin Elementary.^[2]

Preston worked as a union carpenter. He later worked as an organizer for Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL).^[3]

Political career

2018 Illinois House of Representatives election

Preston was an unsuccessful candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives in 2018

2022 Illinois State Senate election

In 2022, Preston was elected to the Illinois Senate in November 2022.^[4]^[5]

2026 U.S. House election

Main article: 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois § District 2 In August 2025, Preston announced his intent to run for Illinois's 2nd congressional district seat in the 2026 election.^[6] The seat is vacant due to Robin Kelly opting to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Dick Durbin, who is retiring at the end of his term. During the primary, in November 2025, the Chicago Tribune reported on Preston posts to Facebook in 2020 attacking Joe Biden, calling on Black men to vote for Donald Trump, and claiming that Preston himself had voted for Trump in the 2020 election.^[7] Preston acknowledged writing the posts but claimed he had not actually voted for Trump. On March 17, 2026, Preston lost to Donna Miller.^[8]

References

↑ Pfingsten, Patrick (January 31, 2023). "Meet the Freshmen: Sen. Willie Preston". The Illinoize. Retrieved March 9, 2025. Now, Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago), who turns 38 Wednesday, lives in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood
↑ Sarti, Angie (ed.). Illinois Blue Book 2023-2024 (PDF). Illinois Secretary of State. p. 75. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 22, 2023.
↑ "Community groups call for changes to FOP contract as "critical step" to police reform in Chicago". ACLU of Illinois. July 11, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
↑ DoGood, Silence (February 24, 2022). "Alderman Howard Brookins Endorses Willie Preston for State Senate". The Southland Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
↑ "Willie Preston". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
↑ "Sen. Willie Preston Enters Congressional Race". The Illinoize. August 24, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
↑ Sheridan, Jake (November 5, 2025). "State Sen. Willie Preston's past Trump praise draws notice in Democratic fight for Illinois congressional seat". Chicago Tribune.
↑ Evans, Maxwell (March 18, 2026). "Donna Miller Wins Democratic Primary For 2nd District's Seat In Congress". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved March 18, 2026.

v t e Members of the Illinois Senate
104th General Assembly (2025–2027) President Don Harmon (D) Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D) Minority Leader John Curran (R)
▌Javier Cervantes (D) ▌Omar Aquino (D) ▌Mattie Hunter (D) ▌Kimberly Lightford (D) ▌Lakesia Collins (D) ▌Sara Feigenholtz (D) ▌Mike Simmons (D) ▌Ram Villivalam (D) ▌Laura Fine (D) ▌Robert Martwick (D) ▌Mike Porfirio (D) ▌Celina Villanueva (D) ▌Robert Peters (D) ▌Emil Jones III (D) ▌Napoleon Harris (D) ▌Willie Preston (D) ▌Elgie Sims (D) ▌William Cunningham (D) ▌Michael Hastings (D) ▌Graciela Guzmán (D) ▌Laura Ellman (D) ▌Cristina Castro (D) ▌Suzy Glowiak (D) ▌Seth Lewis (R) ▌Karina Villa (D) ▌Darby Hills (R) ▌Mark L. Walker (D) ▌Laura Murphy (D) ▌Julie Morrison (D) ▌Adriane Johnson (D) ▌Mary Edly-Allen (D) ▌Craig Wilcox (R) ▌Don DeWitte (R) ▌Steve Stadelman (D) ▌Dave Syverson (R) ▌Michael Halpin (D) ▌Li Arellano Jr. (R) ▌Sue Rezin (R) ▌Don Harmon (D) ▌Patrick Joyce (D) ▌John Curran (R) ▌Linda Holmes (D) ▌Rachel Ventura (D) ▌Sally Turner (R) ▌Andrew Chesney (R) ▌Dave Koehler (D) ▌Neil Anderson (R) ▌Doris Turner (D) ▌Meg Loughran Cappel (D) ▌Jil Tracy (R) ▌Chapin Rose (R) ▌Paul Faraci (D) ▌Chris Balkema (R) ▌Steve McClure (R) ▌Jason Plummer (R) ▌Erica Harriss (R) ▌Christopher Belt (D) ▌Terri Bryant (R) ▌Dale Fowler (R)
▌Democratic (40) ▌Republican (19) Illinois General Assembly Illinois House of Representatives Illinois Senate

This article about an Illinois politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

2018 Illinois House of Representatives election

2022 Illinois State Senate election

2026 U.S. House election

Related Articles