Celina VillanuevaServing

Celina Villanueva

State SenateDemocrat

IL-SD-12 State Senate

Mexican (daughter of Mexican immigrant parents from Durango, Mexico)·Chair of Senate Revenue Committee

Why This Race Matters

Villanueva is running for re-election in the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary. As a progressive champion for immigrant rights and social equity, she represents a heavily Latino district covering Little Village, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Brighton Park, Chinatown, Back of the Yards, and Cicero.

Villanueva ran unopposed in the 2022 general election after winning her primary with 68.7% of the vote. She was first appointed to the Illinois House in 2018, then moved to the Senate in 2020. Her 12th District is one of the most Latino-dense state senate districts in Illinois.

Key dates to watch: Primary on March 17, 2026 and General Election on November 3, 2026.

About

Celina Villanueva is the daughter of Mexican immigrants from Durango who was born and raised in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood. She began organizing and advocating for her community as a teenager. Before entering politics, she ran the largest immigrant civic engagement program in Illinois at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), registering over 200,000 new American voters. In the Illinois House, she led the effort to include social equity provisions in Illinois's landmark cannabis legalization law and championed the Keep Illinois Families Together Act prohibiting law enforcement collaboration with ICE.

Family & Heritage

Daughter of Mexican immigrant parents from Durango, Mexico. Born and raised in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side. She began organizing and advocating for her community at an early age, driven by her family's immigrant experience and the challenges facing her predominantly Latino neighborhood.

Political Career

Before Politics

Director of the largest immigrant civic engagement program in Illinois at ICIRR (registering 200,000+ new American voters); Director of Organizing at Chicago Votes; Youth Engagement Manager at ICIRR; Director of New Americans Democracy Project; Political consultant; Outreach Director for Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia; Union member and steward (NOLSW-UAW 2320)

Education

B.A. Latina/Latino Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2008), with minors in African-American Studies and Spanish

Key Issues & Priorities

*Immigration rights and immigrant community protection
*Cannabis social equity and economic justice
*Reproductive rights and gender-affirming care
*Workers' rights and labor protections
*Voter registration and civic engagement
*Environmental justice
*Domestic violence awareness

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