Stratton’s victory Tuesday in the Democratic Senate primary gave Illinois a new face atop its ticket in November, following the retirement announcement of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Stratton, the state’s lieutenant governor, edged two sitting U.S. House members—Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly—to win the nomination and set up a general election against Republican Don Tracy, the former chair of the Illinois Republican Party.
Durbin’s decision to step aside helped turn the contest into one of the more expensive and closely watched Democratic primaries, with Pritzker standing behind Stratton while super PACs injected millions into the race. The campaign reflected pressure on the Democratic Party over issues ranging from support for Israel and immigration enforcement to positions involving the cryptocurrency and AI industries, as donors and outside groups tried to shape how the winner would define the party’s direction for the fall.
After Krishnamoorthi had already begun airing ads and reporting major early fundraising, Stratton leaned heavily on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s political clout. Pritzker introduced Stratton Tuesday night before her victory speech, in which Stratton pledged to push for Medicare for all and higher wages, to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and to “bring this fight straight to Donald Trump’s door.” She also said, “We are ready to take our democracy back into our own hands,” to supporters gathered in Chicago.
The financial advantage went to Krishnamoorthi, according to campaign finance records. The reporting described him as starting 2026 with more than $15 million on hand, while Stratton had about $1 million at the same point, and it said Pritzker later put $5 million into a super PAC aimed at electing Stratton late last year. At debates, Stratton attacked Krishnamoorthi on his voting record and on donations connected to an ICE contractor, while Krishnamoorthi said he had donated that money to immigrant rights groups.
In Krishnamoorthi’s concession speech Tuesday, he argued that “Only in this country can a kid like me serve in the halls of Congress,” and said Democrats and Americans needed to “return to the principles that made us a beacon of freedom and opportunity for the world.” The contest also drew voters who tied their support to foreign-policy concerns, including Rochelle Brockenborough, 64, who said she voted for Stratton and described wanting there to be “no AIPAC money,” adding that she believes U.S. tax dollars should not be used to support Israel.
The Democratic primary also surfaced a dispute around high-profile endorsements. Candidates touted connections to figures including former President Barack Obama and the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, but the reporting said an endorsement touted posthumously by Stratton drew a snag after Jackson’s family withdrew it Monday, saying the draft endorsement was not meant for public release.
On the Republican side, Tracy—an attorney who led the Illinois Republican Party from 2021 to 2024—won the nomination over five other candidates. The general-election matchup pits Illinois against a Republican field that included Tracy after the state last had a Republican U.S. senator a decade ago, when Mark Kirk was defeated by current Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
Illinois election officials were looking for robust turnout after the statewide turnout in the 2024 primary was 19%, the lowest in more than five decades, and the reporting said initial estimates in Chicago were around 25% on Tuesday. The primary day also featured crowded Democratic contests for five open U.S. House seats in the Chicago area.
In Kelly’s 2nd district, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller won the Democratic nomination in a field that included former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., the son of the late civil rights leader. Miller will face Republican Michael Noack in November, who was unopposed, and the reporting said Miller had AIPAC backing that prompted retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky to withdraw her endorsement.
In Krishnamoorthi’s suburban 8th district, former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean won the Democratic nomination and will face Republican Jennifer Davis. The reporting said Bean’s nomination came after the primary drew eight Democrats and four Republicans, while in the 7th district of Rep. Danny Davis, the candidate he endorsed—state Rep. La Shawn Ford—won the Democratic nomination over a field that included Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin; Ford will face Chad Koppie in the general election.
The most crowded contest for a House seat was the Democratic primary for Schakowsky’s 9th district, where Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss edged out digital creator Kat Abughazaleh and state Sen. Laura Fine, who was also backed by AIPAC. In comments to supporters, Biss called Schakowsky his “political hero” and said the race to replace her raised fundamental questions about Democratic Party priorities, including “Are we going to double down on our progressive values, or are we going to shrink away from protecting the most vulnerable?” and “We are going to stand up, we are going to fight.”
Another open Chicago area House seat was Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s, with the reporting saying Garcia did not seek reelection citing health and personal reasons. It said the Democratic primary for the 4th district was uncontested after Garcia placed his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, on the ballot without Democratic competition; Patty Garcia, who is not related to the congressman, will face Republican Lupe Castillo, who also ran unopposed.
In parallel, Gov. J.B. Pritzker won his own Republican-free gubernatorial primary and was seeking a third term, his first third-term bid since Illinois governors last sought a third term in the 1980s. The reporting said Pritzker used his victory speech to criticize Republicans’ agenda and to argue that federal immigration enforcement has been aggressive in Chicago, calling it part of a broader fight and saying, “This is the fight of our lives,” and “Everything we care about is under siege from Washington.” On the other side, Republican Darren Bailey—who defeated three other candidates—said on the campaign trail and in his victory speech that he would focus on Chicago voters and criticized Pritzker for rising costs, while vowing to include Democrats “who felt left behind.”