Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton wins Democratic primary for US Senate
[March 18, 2026]
By SOPHIA TAREEN
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won Tuesday's
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, edging out two sitting members of
the U.S. House to advance to a November general election against
Republican nominee Don Tracy, the former state party chair.
The retirement of U.S. Sen Dick Durbin, the Senate’s longtime No. 2
Democrat, triggered a competitive campaign on the Democratic side,
drawing as candidates Stratton and U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and
Robin Kelly, among others. Furious fundraising and sharp elbows marked
the race, which tested the influence of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. The
governor, whose name has been floated as a 2028 presidential contender,
backed Stratton.
The races were testing grounds for some of the biggest issues facing the
Democratic Party, from support for Israel to immigration enforcement and
the cryptocurrency and AI industries, as super PACs poured millions of
dollars into the hotly contested primaries.
Most primary winners in the Democratic stronghold are expected to win in
November, shaping a new generation of leadership in the state’s
congressional delegation.
Stratton victorious
Stratton lagged in fundraising but had the powerful backing of Pritzker,
who campaigned with her around the state.
He introduced her Tuesday night before her victory speech, in which she
pledged to push for Medicare for all and higher wages, abolish U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and “bring this fight straight to
Donald Trump’s door.”
“We are ready to take our democracy back into our own hands,” Stratton
told supporters gathered in Chicago.
The race featuring 10 Democrats was expensive. Krishnamoorthi dominated
fundraising and was the first on television with ads in July. He started
2026 with over $15 million on hand compared with Stratton's $1 million,
according to campaign finance records. Late last year, Pritzker put $5
million into a super PAC aimed at electing her.
Stratton lit into Krishnamoorthi at debates, particularly on the
five-term Democrat’s voting record and donations from an ICE contractor.
Krishnamoorthi, who has called to dismantle the agency, said he donated
the money to immigrant rights groups. In a concession speech Tuesday, he
brought up his roots as an immigrant who born in India and raised in
central Illinois.
“Only in this country can a kid like me serve in the halls of Congress,”
he said. “And now we must come together as Democrats and as Americans to
make sure that we return to the principles that made us a beacon of
freedom and opportunity for the world.”
Rochelle Brockenborough, 64, said she voted for Stratton at the Dr.
Martin Luther King Community Service Center in Chicago.
“I wanted to make sure there was no AIPAC money. That’s important to
me,” she said, adding that U.S. tax dollars shouldn’t be used to support
Israel.
Candidates touted ties to iconic Chicagoans including former President
Barack Obama and the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died last month.
However, an endorsement touted posthumously by Stratton caused a snag as
Jackson’s family withdrew it Monday, saying the draft was not meant for
public release.
In the GOP primary, Tracy, an attorney who led the Illinois Republican
Party from 2021 to 2024, bested five other candidates. The state last
had a Republican in the Senate a decade ago, when Mark Kirk was defeated
by current Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
Election officials hoped to see busy polls after statewide turnout in
the 2024 primary was 19%, the lowest in more than five decades. Initial
turnout estimates in Chicago were around 25%, according to the Chicago
Board of Elections.
Crowded US House primaries
Dozens of candidates ran for five open seats in the Chicago area.
In Kelly’s 2nd district, which spans parts of the South Side and suburbs
and dips into the central Illinois farmlands, Cook County Commissioner
Donna Miller emerged as the winner of a crowded Democratic field that
included former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., son of the late civil
rights leader. Miller will face off in November against Republican
Michael Noack, who was unopposed.
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Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, left, hugs her daughter Cassidy
during a primary election night watch party after winning the
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in
Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Miller was backed by AIPAC, and that support prompted retiring U.S.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, of the 9th District, to withdraw her
endorsement of Miller.
The open seat in Krishnamoorthi’s suburban 8th District attracted
eight Democrats and four Republicans. Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean
won the Democratic nomination and advances to face Republican
Jennifer Davis.
“People are ready for change, they want to see a functional
Congress,” Bean told The Associated Press. “We haven’t had one in
quite some time.”
Two other House members are retiring after long careers.
The 7th District of Rep. Danny Davis, who was first elected in 1996,
covers parts of downtown, the West Side and suburbs. The candidate
he endorsed, state Rep. La Shawn Ford won the nomination over a pool
of candidates that included Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin.
Chad Koppie won for the GOP.
The primary for Schakowsky's 9th District seat was the most crowded.
Among the 15 Democrats, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss edged out digital
creator Kat Abughazaleh and state Sen. Laura Fine, who was also
backed by AIPAC. Republican John Elleson won the party's nomination.
Speaking to supporters, Biss called Schakowsky, who endorsed him,
his “political hero” and said the contest to replace her raised
fundamental questions about Democratic Party priorities.
“Are we going to double down on our progressive values, or are we
going to shrink away from protecting the most vulnerable?” Biss
said. “We are going to stand up, we are going to fight.”
Another open Chicago area seat was that of Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia,
who announced that he would not seek reelection citing health and
personal reasons. The Democratic primary for the 4th District was
uncontested after Garcia quietly schemed to place his chief of
staff, Patty Garcia, on the ballot without any Democratic
competition.
Patty Garcia, who is not related to the congressman, will face
Republican Lupe Castillo, who also ran unopposed, in November.
Pritzker seeks a third term as governor
Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune who was unopposed in
his primary, is the first governor to seek a third term since the
1980s.
One of President Donald Trump’s most vocal critics, Pritzker used
his victory speech to tout his efforts to oppose the aggressive
federal immigration crackdown in Chicago last year. He criticized
Republicans' agenda, called Trump's presidency an “unmitigated
disaster” and vowed to help Democrats across Illinois win in
November.
“This is the fight of our lives,” he told supporters at a downtown
Chicago hotel. “Everything we care about is under siege from
Washington.”
Pritzker also made digs at Republican candidate Darren Bailey, a
former state senator whom he handily defeated in 2022.
Bailey, who bested three other Republicans vying for the nomination,
said he did things differently this time, including focusing more on
Chicago voters.
On the campaign trail and in his victory speech, Bailey criticized
Pritzker’s leadership, including blaming him for rising costs.
Heading into November, he vowed to include Democrats “who felt left
behind.”
“I want to work together to make Illinois government work again at
all levels,” he said.
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Associated Press journalists Mike Householder in Chicago and Hannah
Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed.
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