Illinois primary Election Day 2026: Raja Krishnamoorthi, Juliana Stratton, Robin Kelly push for support in tight US Senate race
Kelly conceded the Democratic Senate primary and had criticized Pritzker’s involvement in the race.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYABC7 Chicago is an established local television newsroom with an identified reporter and clear attribution to Associated Press journalists for their contributions. The article includes campaign finance figures and quotes from candidates and a voter, though it offers limited independent examination of the candidates’ claims.
- Source type — Established local-news outlet with a newsroom presence in the region it covers.
- Author attribution — The article names its reporter and identifies contributing Associated Press journalists.
- Editorial standards — The report attributes candidates’ claims and distinguishes campaign statements from reported facts.
- Transparency — Campaign finance figures are attributed to records, but the page provides limited sourcing detail beyond that.
The article gives concrete campaign finance figures, quotes several candidates and a voter, and covers multiple election results. Its breadth comes at the cost of limited explanation of the candidates’ policy differences and limited verification or response around some campaign criticisms.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article includes multiple candidates’ arguments, campaign resources, and voter perspectives, but its compressed statewide roundup leaves little room to test claims or provide fuller policy context.
- Source diversity — Includes candidate statements, campaign finance information, and a voter’s explanation of her choice.
- Counterarguments presented — Stratton’s and Krishnamoorthi’s competing claims are both reported, as are Kelly’s objections to Pritzker’s involvement.
- Omitted context — The report gives limited detail on policy differences and does not independently resolve several campaign criticisms.
- Loaded language — Some vivid language characterizes the campaign, but most evaluative claims are attributed.
The report uses largely neutral language, attributes campaign attacks and claims to the candidates who made them, and includes results across Democratic and Republican contests.
- Language tone — Mostly descriptive language; campaign criticism appears as attributed quotations.
- Source selection — Includes statements from candidates on multiple sides of the races and a voter.
- Framing — Frames the story around election results and campaign dynamics rather than endorsing a candidate.
Juliana Stratton won the Democratic primary for Illinois’ U.S. Senate seat, defeating House members Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly. She will face Republican nominee Don Tracy in November, while the article also reports results and developments in several Chicago-area House primaries.
Stratton won the Democratic Senate primary after a competitive campaign that also featured Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly; both conceded. The article describes fundraising, endorsements, and campaign disputes among the candidates, including Stratton’s criticism of Krishnamoorthi over donations from a contractor tied to ICE and Kelly’s objections to Governor JB Pritzker’s involvement. Tracy won the Republican primary and will face Stratton in November.
The article also reports results and developments in area House races. Donna Miller won the Democratic primary in Illinois’ 2nd District, Melissa Bean won in the 8th, and Patty Garcia will face Republican Lupe Castillo in the general election in the open 4th District. It also covers other crowded contests, a dispute over voter ID requests in one Madison County precinct, and Pritzker’s unopposed gubernatorial primary.
Community verdict
VOTING CLOSEDNo good or bad look here
This story reports what happened without casting Kelly in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Kelly’s record.
People in this story
SWIPE →U.S. representative and Democratic Senate candidate who conceded the primary
Illinois lieutenant governor and Democratic Senate candidate who won the primary
Stratton's version of this story ↗U.S. representative and Democratic Senate candidate who conceded the primary
Krishnamoorthi's version of this story ↗State representative and Democratic candidate in the 7th District primary
Republican Senate candidate who won his primary
Cook County commissioner and Democratic House candidate who won the 2nd District primary
Former U.S. representative and Democratic House candidate who won the 8th District nomination
Republican House candidate who won the 7th District primary
Republican House candidate in the 2nd District
President criticized by Pritzker
Chicago city treasurer and Democratic House candidate who conceded the 7th District primary
U.S. representative who withdrew her endorsement of Donna Miller
U.S. senator whose retirement opened the Senate seat
Evanston mayor and Democratic House candidate in the 9th District
U.S. senator mentioned as the Democrat who defeated Mark Kirk
State senator and Democratic candidate in the 2nd District House primary
U.S. representative who announced he would not seek reelection
U.S. representative whose district seat was open in the primary
Republican House candidate for the open 4th District seat
State senator and Democratic House candidate in the 9th District
Democratic House candidate for the open 4th District seat
Part of a bigger story
6 OUTLETSCoverage identifies Robin Kelly as a candidate in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ open U.S. Senate seat, which retiring Sen. Dick Durbin is leaving. Center outlets describe the wider primary and report Juliana Stratton’s win, with some attention to Gov. JB Pritzker’s influence. Right-leaning outlets preview the campaign’s closing days, emphasizing a dispute over whether Jesse Jackson endorsed Stratton.
- ARTICLES
- 6
- OUTLETS
- 6
- AVG CRED
- 77
Discussion · 0
Loading comments…













