“This moment requires proven leaders who have the experience to take on the toughest battles,” she said in a statement. “I’ve never backed down — not from gun lobbyists, not from MAGA extremists, and certainly not from a fight for what’s right.”

Kelly is the second Democrat to officially announce their candidacy after Durbin, 80, announced in April he would not run for a sixth term in the Senate. 

Illinois’ Democratic lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, promptly threw her hat in the ring to take Durbin’s seat, claiming coveted endorsements from Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).

Although dubbing herself a perpetual “underdog,” Kelly shrugged off Stratton’s support on Tuesday. 

“I don’t think anyone is shocked the governor endorsed his lieutenant governor. I think that should be expected,” she told NBC News.“I’m hoping that people take a look at all of us that are running. I’ve been an effective leader. I’m a fighter. I’ve been standing up to Donald Trump just in these last three months, with my town hall meetings, with my face-to-face or my teletown hall meetings. I mean, the proof is in the pudding of the work I’ve done.”

Kelly, 69, has spent decades climbing the political ladder in Illinois. A two-term member in the state’s House of Representatives, she also served as Chief Administrative Officer of Cook County. 

During her time in Congress, she has focused efforts on issues such as health care, leading successful efforts to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage to one year. And expanding gun control has always been a top priority for the congresswoman.

“We often hear, well, Chicago has the toughest gun laws. But look what they don’t talk about is…a big part of (it is) trafficking…we need national laws, because most of our guns come from Indiana and Wisconsin,” she said during a 2022 interview with IPM News.

“Since I’ve been in Congress, it’s actually become easier to buy a gun in Indiana and Wisconsin than it was when I first came to Congress,” she continued. “So we need to ban assault weapons, instead of what we have now. (We need) more severe background checks. If you can’t buy a handgun until you’re 21, you should not be able to buy an assault weapon until you’re 21. So to me, that needs to be corrected.”

A co-chair for the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Kelly is also a member of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which sets the policy direction for the Democratic Caucus.

DURBIN ANNOUNCES SENATE RETIREMENT, CLEARING WAY FOR LEADERSHIP SHAKE-UP

Other possible Democratic contenders in the race to replace Durbin include Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. 

On the Republican side, Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) is also viewed as a potential contender.