Robert Peters Urges Donna Miller to Return Contributions From Trump-Linked Donors in 2nd District Race (Chicago, IL) – Congressional candidate Robert Peters on Sunday called on Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller to return nearly $40,000 in campaign contributions he says came from donors aligned with President Donald Trump, escalating tensions in the Democratic primary race for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District.
Peters’ campaign said Miller reported raising $39,000 from Trump donors during the fourth quarter of 2025, according to filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission and posted last week. Peters argued the contributions are at odds with the district’s electorate, which is a historically Black majority district on Chicago’s South Side and in the southern suburbs.
“While Trump disrespects our community every day, Donna Miller has invited his donors to buy this election and subvert the will of the residents of the 2nd District,” Peters said in a statement. “That Miller is apparently MAGA’s candidate of choice should be alarming to every voter.”
Peters, a state senator who is running for the seat, urged Miller to reject the donations and publicly distance herself from Trump-aligned donors, saying they should not play a role in the district’s Democratic primary.
The Peters campaign also pointed to health care as a key issue in the district, noting that the 2nd District has the highest number of Medicaid recipients in Illinois. Peters criticized Republican-led federal policies, arguing that cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies have driven up health care costs locally.
“The same MAGA donors who financed that Republican budget maneuver are now investing in Donna Miller,” Peters said.
In addition to the Trump-linked contributions, Peters’ campaign highlighted Miller’s fundraising ties to donors who have also supported the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) or its affiliated super PAC, the United Democracy Project. According to Peters’ campaign, Miller reported raising more than $875,000 in the fourth quarter—about 83 percent of her total—from donors who have contributed to those groups since 2023.
The campaign further noted that “Affordable Chicago Now!,” a super PAC affiliated with AIPAC, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on broadcast television and digital advertising in support of Miller in recent days. The super PAC does not publicly disclose its donors.
Miller’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the fundraising criticism.
Peters entered the race in May 2025 and, according to his campaign, has raised more than $900,000 from more than 30,000 individual donors. He has received endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, among others.
The Democratic primary for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District is shaping up to be a closely watched contest, with fundraising sources, outside spending, and ideological differences emerging as central issues in the race.
Robert Peters Urges Donna Miller to Return Contributions From Trump-Linked Donors in 2nd District Race
