Appointment and elections
Peters was appointed to the Illinois Senate to represent the 13th district in January 2019,to replace outgoing Senator Kwame Raoul upon the latter's election as Attorney General of Illinois. [1] Under Cook County's appointment process,the Democratic Party committeepeople in the area of the district received weighted votes in choosing Raoul's replacement;in this case,the largest weighted votes were held by alderman Leslie Hairston and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. [11] [16] Upon his appointment,Peters signaled his commitment to continuing Raoul's emphasis on issues of bail reform and marijuana legalization. [11]
He successfully ran for re-election in 2020,winning 53% of the vote in the Democratic primary election against Ken Thomas and winning the general election uncontested. [17] [18] [19] [10] In the primary election,both candidates agreed on most issues but Thomas charged that Peters was appointed through a "backroom deal." [20] [17] [21] 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. [22]
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. [23] 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. [12] [23]
Criminal justice reform has been one of Peters' main priorities in the State Senate. In 2020,along with Rep. Justin Slaughter,he introduced a bill called the Pretrial Fairness Act to end the use of cash bail in Illinois. [24] [25] 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. [26] [27] 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. [28] 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. [29] Peters has advocated for continued funding for community violence intervention and argued that it has been effective in reducing violence. [30] [31] [32] In 2025,he was the chief Senate sponsor of the FAIR Act,which established a statewide public defender's office. [33] [34] Other bills sponsored by Peters include proposals to raise the minimum age at which children can be held in detention facilities, [35] decriminalize HIV transmission, [36] and require the presence of attorneys when police interrogate minors. [37]
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. [38] [39] The bill was passed into law later that year. [40]
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. [41] [42] [43] 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. [44] [45]
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. [46] [47]
