Willie Preston

Willie Preston is an American politician and activist serving as a member of the Illinois Senate for the 16th district. Elected in November 2022, he assumed office on January 11, 2023. Preston is a candidate in the Democratic primary for the 2026 [United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois#District 2|2026 election for Illinois' 2nd congressional district].

Career

Prior to entering politics, Preston worked as a union carpenter. He later worked as an organizer for Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation. Preston was an unsuccessful candidate for the Illinois [House of Representatives] in 2018 and was elected to the Illinois Senate in November 2022. He attended Chicago State University and Roosevelt University. He was a local school council member for Scott Joplin Elementary.

In November 2025, while Preston was a second-term state senator 2026 [United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois#District 2|running for Congress], the Chicago Tribune reported on Facebook posts Preston made in 2020 attacking Joe Biden, calling on Black men to vote for Donald Trump, and claiming that Preston himself had voted for Trump in the 2020 [United States presidential election|2020 election]. Preston acknowledged writing the posts but claimed he had not actually voted for Trump.