(MCT) — As Illinois lawmakers acted Thursday to set a new date for a special general election to determine who will succeed former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., two state senators, a former state representative and a Chicago alderman prepared to enter the campaign.

State Sens. Donne Trotter of Chicago and Toi Hutchinson of Olympia Fields and Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, said they were joining the increasingly crowded field to fill the Jackson vacancy in the South Side and south suburban 2nd Congressional District. Aides to Robin Kelly, a top Cook County administrator and former state representative from Matteson, said she would announce her candidacy Sunday.