Kathy Salvi

Kathy Salvi
Salvi in 2022
Chair of the Illinois Republican Party
In office July 29, 2024 – May 18, 2026
Preceded by	Don Tracy
Succeeded by	Bob Grogan
Personal details
Born	Kathleen Keller (1959-04-23) April 23, 1959 Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.
Party	Republican
Spouse	Al Salvi (m. 1988)
Children	6
Education	Loyola University Chicago (BA) Illinois Institute of Technology (JD)

Kathleen R. "Kathy" Salvi (born Kathleen Keller on April 23, 1959) is an American attorney and politician who served as the Chair of the Illinois Republican Party from 2024 to 2026. Salvi was also the Republican nominee for the United States Senate in the 2022 election in Illinois.

Early life and education

Salvi was raised in a family of nine in Waukegan, Illinois.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in communications from Loyola University Chicago in 1981 and her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1984. The same year, she was admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association.

Political career

2022 U.S. Senate campaign

In March 2022, Salvi announced that she would challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth for her seat in the 2022 United States Senate election in Illinois. She won the Republican primary with 30.2% of the vote but was defeated by Duckworth in the general election.

Illinois Republican Party Chair

In July 2024, Salvi was elected Chair of the Illinois Republican Party, succeeding Don Tracy. Her focus as party chair has been addressing issues such as crime, corruption, and cost of living in Illinois, as well as uniting a divided Republican Party. She lost her bid for a second term as chairwoman to DuPage County auditor Bob Grogan in May 2026.

Electoral history

Results by county

List

•   Salvi–20–30%
    Salvi–30–40%
    Salvi–40–50%
    Salvi–50–60%
•   Hubbard–20–30%
    Hubbard–30–40%
    Hubbard–40–50%
    Hubbard–50–60%
•   Dubiel–20–30%

Results by county

Map legend

• Duckworth:
       40–50%
       50–60%
       60–70%
       70–80%
       80–90%
       >90%
  Salvi:
       40–50%
       50–60%
       60–70%
       70–80%
       80–90%
       >90%
  Tie:
       40–50%
       50%

Illinois Republican primary for U.S. Senate, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kathy Salvi	213,057	30.2
	Republican	Peggy Hubbard	175,052	24.8
	Republican	Matthew Dubiel	89,561	12.7
	Republican	Casey Chlebek	75,233	10.7
	Republican	Bobby Piton	64,807	9.2
	Republican	Anthony Williams	52,319	7.4
	Republican	Jimmy Lee Tillman	35,950	5.1
Total votes			706,353	100.0

Illinois U.S. Senator (Class III) General Election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tammy Duckworth (incumbent)	2,329,136	56.82
	Republican	Kathy Salvi	1,701,055	41.50
	Libertarian	Bill Redpath	68,671	1.68
	Write-in votes	Lowell Martin Seida	23	0.00
	Write-in votes	Connor Vlakancic	11	0.00
Total votes			4,098,896	100.0

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN