Illinois Lieutenant Governor and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Julianna Stratton speaks at a primary election night event on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
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Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won the Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on Tuesday, putting her in position to win November’s election in the heavily Democratic state, US media reported.
Mr. Stratton, 60, defeated 10 other Democratic candidates vying for the nomination, including Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly.
Stratton was backed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and was considered the most progressive of the top three candidates.
She campaigned on the platform to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $25 an hour and supported abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been conducting immigrant deportation efforts in Chicago and other major U.S. cities.
If Stratton wins the fall general election, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker is re-elected as expected, he will become the sixth black member of the U.S. Senate when it convenes in January – a new record.
Stratton’s main victory was a victory for progressives, but a political setback for the crypto industry. The crypto industry is funding a “super PAC” supporting Mr. Krishnamoorthi’s campaign and is prepared to distribute millions of dollars on behalf of a number of candidates this year. There is a lively debate in the US Congress over the scope of regulation for growing industries.
Mr. Stratton, 60, held a steady lead over Mr. Krishnamoorthy, 52, for much of the primary night and outperformed his rival in vote-heavy Cook County, which includes Chicago, according to Associated Press results Tuesday night with about 80% of votes counted.
Former state Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy was projected to be the winner in Illinois’ Republican Senate race.
The Illinois Democratic primary not only tested the power of progressives, but also gave voters a chance to elect a new generation of representatives as Mr. Durbin and two other longtime state legislators retire.
Durbin’s resignation and the retirement of other lawmakers sparked a fierce Democratic House primary race in the state on Tuesday, with 11 Democratic candidates campaigning to replace Mr. Durbin.
Illinois is a heavily Democratic state, and no race is expected to be competitive in November’s midterm elections, when President Donald Trump’s Republicans will try to protect their legislative majority.
President Trump’s approval rating hovers at 39%, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, but Democrats have made solid gains in recent months, including winning the Virginia gubernatorial race, holding off a runoff in Trump-leaning Georgia, and selecting a more moderate Senate candidate in Texas.
immigration factors
The mass arrests of immigrants as part of the Trump administration’s deportation plan and the resulting protests in Chicago had a major impact on the election campaign.
Stratton was the most progressive of the candidates, calling for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing that ICE “cannot be reformed.”
Kelly, 69, introduced an impeachment resolution in January against former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversaw ICE until President Trump fired her on March 5. Mr. Krishnamoorthi wants to remove “Trump’s ICE” and not necessarily shut down the agency permanently.
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate and a 218-214 majority in the House, with three seats remaining. The incumbent president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections. Election analysts say Democrats have a good chance of winning a majority in the House, but the path is even tougher in the Senate.
house matchup
A number of Democratic and Republican candidates competed for their party’s nomination to succeed retiring Congressmen Danny Davis, 84, and Jan Schakowsky, 81. Both Democrats represent reliably left-leaning Chicago-area districts.
Three other open House seats, including Mr. Krishnamoorthi and Mr. Kelly, had notable primaries to advance to the Senate.
Krishnamoorthi was born in India and came to the United States as a child. He has served in the House of Representatives for nearly 10 years.
He has $6.6 million in cash on hand after outpacing his opponent in campaign fundraising so far, raising more than $30 million. Krishnamoorthy, a member of the House New Democratic Coalition, a group of moderate House Democrats, supports raising the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour over five years.
He has pushed to expand the federal Medicare health insurance program for seniors, including allowing people as young as 50 to enroll in the program.
Mr. Stratton and Mr. Kelly relied on their appeal to progressive voters who want a single-payer, “Medicare-for-all” federal health insurance program.
Stratton was endorsed by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who features prominently in campaign ads. She supports raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $25 an hour, but two opponents settled for $17 an hour.
Her campaign has raised $4 million and has $1.3 million in cash on hand.
Kelly, who has served in the House since 2013, argued that his Chicago-area district, which includes urban, suburban and rural voters, gave him experience in addressing a variety of constituent concerns.
She has raised $3.3 million and her campaign has nearly $721,000 in cash, according to Federal Election Commission data.
