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What to watch for at Illinois primary elections: JB Pritzker's opponent, Dick Durbin's replacement

Krishnamoorthi’s Senate campaign has spent heavily on advertising and argues it has a plan to hold President Trump accountable.

What to watch for at Illinois primary elections: JB Pritzker's opponent, Dick Durbin's replacement
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This article1 analysis · Oct 8, 2026
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Mar 17, 2026
tl;dr

Illinois voters are choosing party nominees in Senate and House primaries shaped by intraparty divisions, outside spending and disputes over immigration and Israel. The Senate race among Juliana Stratton, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly is also presented as a test of Gov. JB Pritzker’s political influence.

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This story reports what happened without casting Krishnamoorthi in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Krishnamoorthi’s record.

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Democratic candidate for the Senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin

PRIMARY SUBJECT

Democratic candidate for the Senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin

Stratton's version of this story ↗

Democratic candidate for the Senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin

Kelly's version of this story ↗

Democratic candidate in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District and local school board official

Democratic candidate in Illinois’s 2nd Congressional District

Democratic candidate in Illinois’s 8th Congressional District and former representative

Democratic candidate in Illinois’s 8th Congressional District

Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President whose administration’s immigration actions are discussed in candidates’ campaign messages

Democratic candidate in Illinois’s 7th Congressional District and Chicago treasurer

Richard J. Durbin
D · IL · SEN

Senator retiring from the seat at the center of the Senate primary

Democratic candidate in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District and Evanston mayor

Tammy Duckworth
D · IL · SEN

Senator who endorsed Juliana Stratton

Progressive candidate in Illinois’s 2nd Congressional District

Elizabeth Warren
D · MA · SEN

Senator who endorsed Stratton and has advocated crypto-industry regulation

Laura Fine
D · IL

Democratic candidate in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District and state senator

ALSO MENTIONED  JB Pritzker, Illinois governor whose support for Stratton is presented as a test of his political influence; Gregory Bovino, Then-Border Patrol commander mentioned in connection with Operation Midway Blitz; Jesse Jackson Jr., Former representative seeking election in Illinois’s 2nd Congressional District; Kat Abughazaleh, Progressive candidate in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District; Michael Madigan, Former Illinois House speaker mentioned in the account of Pritzker’s rise in state politics

Part of a bigger story

11 OUTLETS
Illinois Voters Choose Nominees in Congressional Primaries

Outlets agree Illinois voters are choosing a Democratic nominee for the open Senate seat Dick Durbin is leaving, with Raja Krishnamoorthi among the leading candidates. Center outlets present the race as shaped by campaign spending and policy disputes, including immigration and ICE, with some attention to Gov. JB Pritzker’s influence. Right-leaning outlets focus on a dispute over whether the late Jesse Jackson endorsed Juliana Stratton.

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