Here’s What’s At Play In The Illinois Primary Election

The road to the midterms is thoroughly underway, with Illinois holding its primary elections on Tuesday. Here’s how the field looks as voting gets underway.  

According to the New York Times, the race to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) comes down to three front-runners: Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Rep. Robin Kelly. Stratton received an endorsement from Gov. JB Pritzker. Her candidacy will be a test of Pritzker’s sway as he’s widely expected to enter the presidential race next year. 

The primary will also be a test of how anti-ICE messaging resonates with Democratic voters. Chicago was one of the cities ICE terrorized last year, with their conduct in the city resulting in a litany of lawsuits over their indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper spray, as well as the, thankfully, non-fatal shooting of Marimar Martinez. AP reports that Stratton criticized Krishnamoorthi for accepting donations from contractors tied to ICE during a January debate.

“That is not the example of somebody who’s going to stand up to Donald Trump and fight for all of our communities,” Stratton said during the debate. “I want to abolish ICE.” Krishnamoorthi pushed back and said that he donated the money he received from the contractor to an immigrant rights group.

Krishnamoorthi has led the race in fundraising, with a war chest of $30 million. He’s faced scrutiny over who has donated to his campaign, which includes cryptocurrency lobbyists, the aforementioned ICE contractors, and even some Trump supporters. 

The Senate race has also seen some controversy that centers around an endorsement from the late Jesse Jackson. NBC News reports that Stratton announced she received an endorsement from Jackson on Saturday. Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH coalition and Jackson’s son, Yusef, have pushed back against the endorsement, saying that Rainbow PUSH decided not to publicly release Jackson’s endorsement due to the process not being finalized before his death. 

“Over the past 48 hours, there has been a lot of commotion about who my father, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. endorsed before his passing — just over a month ago,” Yusef Jackson wrote in a statement sent from his late father’s X account. “Out of respect for my father, we decided not to publicly release his intended selections given the process had not been finalized.

“However, due to an internal miscommunication, a draft sample ballot was released by a staff person who did not have authorization,” Jackson added. “This unintentional error has set off unforeseen controversy. One that has unfortunately revolved around one candidate in particular.”

In the House primary, one of the most-watched races is for Illinois’ Ninth District. Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old researcher, announced her campaign in early 2025, arguing there was a need for generational change against Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 81. Abughazaleh has gained significant traction online after appearing on Twitch streams with Hasan Piker and The JAAM.  

When Abughazaleh initially announced her candidacy, the field was fairly empty. After Schakowsky announced her retirement, the field became more crowded with Laura Fine, a state senator, and Daniel Biss, the mayor of Evanston, entering the race. The Ninth district has drawn the most outside money of all the House races. Abughazaleh, a Palestinian woman, has been understandably critical of how Israel has conducted itself in Gaza. So it should come as no surprise that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has spent $1.2 million on ads attacking Abughazaleh. 

Fine has received much of the outside money, including $4.4 million from the Elect Chicago Women PAC, which has ties to AIPAC. Conversely, Abughazaleh is running an entirely grassroots campaign, with her website saying her campaign isn’t taking money from corporate donors or super PACs. Illinois’ Ninth District race is shaping up to be a battle between grassroots campaigning and super PAC money.  

Illinois is a heavily Democratic state, so the winners of the Democratic primary races will quite likely be the folks going into Congress next year. Illinois has same-day voter registration, so if you happen to be an Illinois-based reader, be sure to get out and vote! It’s the best way to ensure your voice is heard ahead of the midterms.  

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