State Rep. Robyn Gabel, a Democrat who serves as Illinois House majority leader, is seeking reelection to her District 18 seat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
She faces Republican Pete Donaghue.
Gabel has held the District 18 seat since 2010, according to Ballotpedia. She became majority leader on Jan. 11, 2023, and also chairs the House Rules Committee and co-chairs the Medicaid Working Group, according to her Illinois General Assembly member page.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: Illinois House of Representatives, District 18
- Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
- Born: Feb. 7, 1953, in Chicago
- Education: Bachelor's degree in anthropology, Beloit College (1975); master's degree in public health, University of Illinois at Chicago (1979); master's degree in health law, Loyola University Chicago (1997)
- Endorsements (claimed by endorsers): AFL-CIO; Illinois Federation of Teachers; Illinois Planned Parenthood Action; Illinois Sierra Club; Personal PAC; Equality IL; Illinois NOW PAC; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134; International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399; IUOE Local 150
Experience and public service
Before entering the legislature, Gabel spent more than two decades in healthcare advocacy. She served as executive director of the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition from 1988 to 2010, according to BallotReady. Earlier, she was co-director of the Chicago Women's Health Center from 1980 to 1987 and a training coordinator at Planned Parenthood from 1979 to 1980, according to Ballotpedia.
Before becoming majority leader, Gabel served as assistant Democratic leader in the Illinois House. She also chairs the Great Lakes Legislative Caucus through the Council of State Governments.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Gabel's campaign website and candidate questionnaire responses. They reflect the candidate's own stated views.
Healthcare
Gabel says ensuring access to healthcare has been the core of her professional career. She says she has worked to expand Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of women and children and to advocate for support for people with developmental disabilities. She says she supports guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions if federal healthcare protections are weakened, 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage to reduce maternal mortality, expanded insurance requirements for mental illness and substance abuse treatment, and protections against mid-policy prescription drug price changes.
Gun safety
Gabel says she has worked to establish a 72-hour waiting period for all firearm sales, limit assault weapon purchases to adults over 21 and strengthen gun dealership licensing requirements. She says addressing the root causes of gun violence is essential to improving public safety.
Environment and energy
Gabel says she supports moving Illinois toward cutting carbon from the power sector by 2030 and committing to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. She says she has worked on requiring schools and daycares to test for lead in drinking water and on creating a program to study micro-compounds in drinking water.
Criminal justice
Gabel says reforming the criminal justice system for juveniles is a primary mission. She says she supports ending juvenile detention for children under 13, reinstating parole consideration for people who were 20 or younger when their offense occurred except in cases of extreme offenses, and providing alternatives to incarceration for young people.
Voting rights
Gabel says she has worked to expand voting access in Illinois. She says good policy depends on government operating with efficiency, accountability and public trust.
Candidate positions were drawn from Gabel's campaign website and responses submitted through BallotReady. North Shore Weekly did not conduct an independent interview for this profile.
