Illinois's 6th district is a suburban area in west Chicago, which is 99.4% urban. The breakdown of race in the district is as follows: 85% Caucasian, 3% African American, 8% Hispanic, 8% Asian. The median income is $97,387 and 52% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher. The district has historically voted for Republicans in both midterm and presidential elections, yet voted narrowly for Clinton in the 2016 election, and Barack Obama in the 2008 election.

The Democratic candidate running in this district is Sean Casten, who has worked as an executive for clean energy companies. The Republican candidate running in this district is Peter Roskam. He has been the incumbent since 2006 and is the Republican Chief Deputy Whip in the House. Roskam won the 2006 election with 51% of the vote, and has received between 59% and 67% of the vote in all midterm elections since. Specifically, in the 2016 election, he received 59% of the vote.