Races to watch | It’s happening here

U.S. representative, 2nd District Rep. Jesse “Missing in Action” Jackson Jr., who recently headed back to the Mayo Clinic to seek treatment for bipolar disorder, seems to be daring constituents to vote for his no-name opponents, Republican Brian Woodworth and Independent Marcus Lewis. Polls forecast Junior triumphing big.

d U.S. representative, 8th District The battle has been bitter between tea partyer Rep. Joe Walsh and Democrat Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War vet. Attack ads fueled by millions in congressional committee and super PAC dollars have seen Walsh’s campaign calling Duckworth a tax cheat for an inadvertent grant omission during her time as Illinois Veterans’ Affairs director. Duckworth’s camp fired back, labeling Walsh a deadbeat dad and underlining his “pro-life without exception” stance.

U.S. representative, 10th District North Shore Republican Rep. Bob Dold, the owner of Rose Pest Solutions, is trying to terminate Democratic challenger Brad Schneider, a Deerfield management consultant, in the race for this longtime GOP-held seat. Dold is buoyed by his centrist stance; he’s the eighth most moderate Republican in Congress, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

U.S. representative, 11th District Though support for seven-term incumbent Republican Rep. Judy Biggert is entrenched, Democratic challenger Bill Foster is no stranger to upsets. In 2008, he drank the milkshake of Republican ice-cream magnate Jim Oberweis to turn the 14th District from red to blue.

State representative, 10th District In August, Derrick Smith was expelled from the Illinois House after being indicted for allegedly taking a $7,000 bribe from an undercover mole seeking a state grant for a day-care center. Somehow, Smith is still favored to beat Lance Tyson, the former chief of staff for Todd Stroger. Only in Illinois!