Illinois voters on Tuesday will decide between a crowded field of Democratic candidates vying to be the state’s next senator as the midwestern state also nominates candidates for five open congressional seats.
Longtime Illinois senator Dick Durbin’s retirement leaves a competitive race that includes two US representatives and the lieutenant governor vying to replace him, with massive infusions of money coming to the candidates from outside groups, including donors affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), that are spending millions to sway voters.
The representatives running for Senate are leaving open contests for their seats, and other sitting Democratic representatives decided not to run for reelection. Among the contenders are seasoned politicians, former lawmakers seeking comebacks and progressive upstarts.
The open Senate and House seats in Democratic-leaning districts mean the primaries will likely decide who wins in the November general election. And because the state is reliably blue, the winners could be in office for long careers, like Durbin has been for over 29 years.
State-level races, including the governorship, are also on Tuesday’s ballot, with JB Pritzker running unopposed for a third term.
US Senate
The 10-way Democratic primary for US Senate features the US representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, and Juliana Stratton, lieutenant governor, , who has Pritzker’s endorsement.
Most polls show Krishnamoorthi, a moderate Democrat who’s part of the House’s centrist New Democrat Coalition, leading. He has fundraised far beyond the other candidates, with more than $30m, the second-highest fundraiser among federal candidates this cycle, according to the Chicago Tribune. Some have questioned Krishnamoorthi’s donors, who include Trump supporters, people aligned with India’s nationalist movement and an executive at AI company Palantir, saying the representative’s political allegiances are compromising, the Tribune reported.
Stratton, a progressive, has gained momentum in recent weeks, in part because of a Pritzker cash infusion to Illinois Future PAC, which is running pro-Stratton ads. She has served as lieutenant governor under Pritzker since 2019.
A PAC that’s supporting Krishnamoorthi, the Indian American Impact Fund, is running ads boosting Kelly, seen as a way to blunt Stratton, Politico reported. Kelly, the third major contender, has served the second congressional district since 2013.
Second congressional district
With Kelly running for US senate, her congressional seat is open. It favors Democrats, making the primary the likely deciding contest.
The district, which covers southern parts of Chicago and suburban areas, is majority Black and has been represented in Congress by Black representatives for decades.
Ten Democrats are vying for the seat, including Jesse Jackson Jr, who is hoping for a comeback after he resigned from Congress in 2012 amid health issues and an investigation into his misuse of campaign funds, for which he served time in prison.
Donna Miller, a Cook county commissioner and relative moderate, has the cash advantage, though the Chicago Tribune has found that more than half of her donors had previously contributed to Aipac or affiliated groups. Miller has sought to distance herself from Aipac.
Robert Peters, a Democratic state senator and community organizer, is a progressive endorsed by Bernie Sanders, who said “we need bold voices in Congress who will stand up to Trump and his wrecking crew”. He has also seen outside support from Fairshake, a super Pac funded by crypto interests.
Ninth congressional district
A staggering 15-candidate primary includes a progressive content creator who has garnered national attention, a moderate state senator with backing from Aipac-affiliated groups, and the mayor of Evanston, who has led in most polls of the race.
Jan Schakowsky, a US representative, 81, has represented the district, which covers parts of Chicago and northern suburbs, since 1999. She announced she wouldn’t seek re-election last year, though not until after Kat Abughazaleh entered the race with a splashy video asking Democrats: “What if we didn’t suck?” Abughazaleh is part of a wave of younger candidates, largely progressive, who have challenged seniority in the party.
Daniel Biss, a progressive who is leading in the polls, has the political resume that often leads to a congressional seat. He served in both chambers of the Illinois legislature and currently is mayor of Evanston, a suburb that’s part of the district he’s vying for. He ran for governor in the Democratic primary in 2018, losing to Pritzker.
Laura Fine, a state senator, is seen as more moderate. She has received backing from an outside group, Elect Chicago Women, that is reportedly tied to Aipac. The group is spending big in several congressional races. In the ninth congressional district, they’ve been running ads supporting Fine and opposing Biss, though some political consultants have warned that the affiliation with Aipac could backfire on Fine and elevate Abughazaleh.
Other congressional races
Danny Davis, 84, announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in the seventh congressional district that he’s represented since 1997, which includes western parts of Chicago and suburbs on the west side.
Thirteen people are vying for the rare open congressional seat.
Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who challenged Davis in the 2024 primary, is making another run for the seat. She is currently treasurer for the city of Chicago, an elected position, after serving in the state House. The United Democracy Project, an Aipac-affiliated group, has run ads supporting Conyears-Ervin.
La Shawn Ford, a state representative, has Davis’ endorsement. Ford, who ran for Chicago mayor in 2019, has seen ads supporting him from crypto-aligned Fairshake.
And in the eighth congressional district, Krishnamoorthi’s run for US Senate leaves an open spot, with eight Democrats running for it.
Melissa Bean, a moderate, is on the comeback trail, hoping to win the seat she lost to Republican Joe Walsh in 2010. She previously served from 2005 to 2011 as a US representative, where she was a member of the Blue Dog coalition of moderate Democrats. She has also received support from Elect Chicago Women, the outside Aipac-affiliated group.
The race to replace longtime congressman Jesús “Chuy” García in the majority-Hispanic fourth district attracted considerable controversy when García opted to announce his retirement at the same time that his chief of staff, Patty García, jumped into the race. That effectively left voters with a single choice for the Democratic primary, prompting moderate Washington congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to successfully propose a House resolution condemning Chuy García for “undermining the process of a free and fair election”.
Chris Stein contributed reporting
