Associated Press
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U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos of East Moline
A former journalist and city council member, Bustos defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling in 2012 and won a rematch against him last year in a district that stretches from Rockford west to the Mississippi River and south along the Iowa border.
Bustos noted she's the only Democratic member of Illinois' congressional delegation from outside the Chicago area, and that she won in November by 10 points in a district that, like Illinois, includes both rural and urban areas.
She told The Associated Press she is currently focused on serving her district but said, "I don't close the door to opportunities."
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U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates
An Iraq war veteran who lost both legs when her Blackhawk helicopter was shot down, Duckworth served as an assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs. She unseated Congressman Joe Walsh to win her suburban Chicago district in 2012, won re-election in 2014 and recently returned from maternity leave after having her first child.
Duckworth said she will weigh the decision over "the coming weeks and months."
"It is an enormous commitment to run, but I have never run away from difficult challenges before," she said.
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville
Foster is a physicist and businessman who was first elected to Congress in 2008 but lost his bid for re-election in 2010. Two years later he defeated longtime GOP U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert in a suburban Chicago district that had been redrawn to benefit Democrats. He won another term in November.
A spokeswoman for Foster said he declined to speak with AP about a possible 2016 Senate run.
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State Sen. Napoleon Harris of Harvey
A former professional football player who also played at Northwestern University, Harris now owns pizza restaurants in Chicago's south suburbs. He won his first term in the Illinois Senate in 2012. Months later he launched a bid for U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s congressional seat, but dropped out and threw his support behind the eventual victor, former state Rep. Robin Kelly.
Harris told AP he is focusing on being "a good state senator" and isn't rushing his decision.
"I'm considering it," he said. "But we have to get a few things together and we'll see."
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U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson
Kelly won a 2013 special election to replace Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who left office before being indicted on federal corruption charges. She easily won re-election last fall in a district that includes part of Chicago's South Side and south suburbs.
A former Illinois state representative, she lost a 2010 bid for Illinois Treasurer — a race she noted makes her the only candidate mentioned so far who has experience running for statewide office.
Kelly said she is doing her due diligence regarding a 2016 bid and "seeing if there's a pathway to victory."
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