Robert Peters

Robert J. Peters (born April 26, 1985) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate for the 13th district. The Chicago-based district, once represented by President Barack Obama, includes all or parts of East Side, Hyde Park, Kenwood, South Chicago, South Shore, and Woodlawn. Peters took office on January 6, 2019, after being appointed to succeed Kwame Raoul. He has since been elected in 2020 and again in 2024.

He served as the Senate Chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus from 2021 to 2024 and has been the Majority Whip for the Senate Democratic Caucus since 2025.

Early life and career Peters was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 26, 1985. His biological mother suffered from drug and alcohol addiction. He was raised by his adoptive parents, Thomas and Cynthia (nee' Mikolas) Peters. His father worked as a civil rights lawyer and argued a few cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Although he was born deaf and with a speech impediment, he regained full hearing ability at age 8 and full speech capability at age 12. Peters is Black and Jewish. He was devastated when his adoptive parents died, his father in 2011 and his mother in 2013.

Prior to his appointment, Peters was the political director for the People's Lobby and their PAC, Reclaim Chicago. Upon his appointment, Peters signaled his commitment to continuing Raoul's emphasis on issues of bail reform and marijuana legalization. Peters was endorsed by a number of progressive organizations including United Working Families, Equality Illinois, and Reclaim Chicago, and most of his campaign contributions came from labor unions.

He was re-elected in 2024, running uncontested in both the Democratic primary and the general election.

Tenure During the 2019–20 term, Peters was the chief co-sponsor of 13 bills that were signed into law, including legislation on banning private civil detention centers, ending "pay to stay" practices in correctional facilities, and expanding access to SNAP benefits, preventive HIV treatment, and apprenticeships for youth. He has cited improving the Department of Children and Family Services as a top legislative priority, and three of his co-sponsored bills focused on this agency, requiring expansion of post-adoption support services, collection of feedback from youth transitioning out of foster care, and provision of preventive care to reduce homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment. In 2021, an amended version of this bill was enacted as part of the SAFE-T Act, making Illinois the first state to eliminate cash bail. Peters was also a co-sponsor of the broader SAFE-T Act, which included various reforms on police training and use of force, sentencing, and services for crime victims. Also in 2021, Peters and Slaughter were the chief sponsors of the successfully enacted Reimagine Public Safety Act, which provided funding for community violence intervention programs such as street outreach. Peters has advocated for continued funding for community violence intervention and argued that it has been effective in reducing violence. In 2025, he was the chief Senate sponsor of the FAIR Act, which established a statewide public defender's office. Other bills sponsored by Peters include proposals to raise the minimum age at which children can be held in detention facilities, decriminalize HIV transmission, and require the presence of attorneys when police interrogate minors.

In 2023, Peters co-sponsored the Temp Worker and Fairness Safety Act, which included provisions curtail wage theft and provide workplace training and transparency for temporary workers. The bill was passed into law later that year.

Since 2023, Peters, along with Rep. Marcus Evans, has sponsored a bill that would enable and regulate offshore wind farms in Lake Michigan on the Southeast Side of Chicago, including a "Rust Belt To Green Belt" fund to support workforce diversity programs. He has also advocated for state funding to preserve limestone barriers at Promontory Point and other parts of the Lake Michigan shoreline on the South Side of Chicago.

Amid the Chicago Bears' efforts to secure state funding to build a new stadium adjacent to Soldier Field or at the former Michael Reese Hospital site, both of which are in the 13th district, Peters has generally expressed skepticism toward providing public funds and argued that the Bears should privately finance any stadium redevelopment.

Leadership roles In December 2020, Peters was elected by his colleagues as the Senate Chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus for the 2021-22 term, and served in the role again in the subsequent term. In 2025, Peters joined the Senate Democratic Caucus leadership team as Majority Whip.

Committees In the 2019–20 term, he served as the inaugural chair of the Senate's Special Committee on Public Safety. In the next term (2021–22), he continued as chair of the Committee on Public Safety and chaired subcommittees on Children & Family, Emergency Management, and redistricting for Chicago South. In the 2023–24 and 2025–26 terms, he has chaired the Committee on Labor. Leaders We Deserve endorsed Peters' campaign on May 15, 2025, the first endorsement by the group led by David Hogg and Kevin Lata. He was also later endorsed by Bernie Sanders and College Democrats of America. In the primary election on March 17, 2026, Peters placed third with 12.4% of the vote.

Electoral history