Illinois heads to elect next senator and five congressional district candidates | Illinois
On Tuesday, Illinois voters will decide among a crowded field of Democratic candidates vying to become the state’s next senator; The midwestern state is also nominating candidates for five open congressional seats.
The retirement of longtime Illinois senator Dick Durbin leads to a competitive race featuring two U.S. representatives and the lieutenant governor vying to replace him; Large sums of money are flowing to candidates from outside groups, including donors affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), which spends millions to influence voters.
Representatives running for the Senate dropped out of open contests for their seats, while other Democratic representatives decided not to run for re-election. Contenders include seasoned politicians, former lawmakers seeking a comeback and progressive startups.
Open Senate and House seats in Democratic-leaning districts mean primaries will likely decide who wins the November general election. And because the state is reliably blue, winners can stay in office for long careers, as Durbin has for more than 29 years.
State-level races, including governor, will also be voted on Tuesday, with JB Pritzker running unopposed for a third term.
US Senate
The 10-way Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate includes U.S. representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly and lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton, who has Pritzker’s backing.
Most polls show Krishnamoorthi, a moderate Democrat in the House’s centrist New Democrat Coalition, leading. He has raised more than $30 million, far surpassing any other candidate; this made him the second-highest fundraiser among federal candidates during this period. According to the Chicago Tribune. Some said the representative was jeopardizing his political allegiances by questioning Krishnamoorthi’s donors, who included Trump supporters, people aligned with India’s nationalist movement and an executive of the AI company Palantir, the Tribune reported.
Stratton, a progressive company, has gained momentum in recent weeks in part because Pritzker provided a cash boost to Illinois Future PAC, which has run pro-Stratton ads. He has served as lieutenant governor under Pritzker since 2019.
Indo-American Impact Fund, a PAC backing Krishnamoorthi, is running ads featuring Kelly, seen as a way to blunt Stratton and Politico reported. Kelly, the third major candidate, has been serving in the second congressional district since 2013.
Second congressional district
With Kelly’s candidacy for the US Senate, a congressional seat also opened. It favors Democrats, making the primary the likely decisive contest.
The district, which covers the southern parts of Chicago and suburban areas, is majority Black and has been represented by Black representatives in Congress for decades.
Ten Democrats are running for the seat, including Jesse Jackson Jr., who is hoping to return after resigning from Congress in 2012 due to health issues and serving time in prison amid an investigation into his misuse of campaign funds.
Cook County Commissioner and relative moderate Donna Miller has the cash advantage, but Chicago Tribune found It said more than half of its donors had previously contributed to Aipac or affiliated groups. Miller tried to distance himself from Aipac.
Democratic state senator and community organizer Robert Peters is a progressive backed by Bernie Sanders who said, “We need bold voices in Congress to stand up to Trump and his wrecking crew.” there is that too Support from outside was seen from Fairshake, a super Pac funded by crypto interests.
Ninth congressional district
The surprising 15-candidate primary includes a progressive content creator gaining national attention, a moderate state senator backed by Aipac-affiliated groups, and the mayor of Evanston leading the charge. most polls of the race.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 81, has represented the district covering parts of Chicago and its northern suburbs since 1999. He announced last year that he would not seek re-election, but that prompted Kat Abugazaleh to ask Democrats, “What if we didn’t suck?” It was after he entered the race with a flashy video in which he asked: Abuhazaleh is part of a wave of young, largely progressive candidates challenging seniority in the party.
Progressive Daniel Biss, who is leading in the polls, has a political resume that will win him a congressional seat most of the time. He has served in both houses of the Illinois legislature and is currently mayor of Evanston, a suburb that is part of the district he is running for. He ran for governor in 2018, losing to Pritzker in the Democratic primary.
State senator Laura Fine is seen as more moderate. He received support from outside group Elect Chicago Women, which is said to be affiliated with Aipac. The group is spending big on various congressional races. They are running ads in the ninth congressional district supporting Fine and opposing Biss, but there are also some political consultants. I warned He said the relationship with Aipac could backfire on Fine and boost Abuhazaleh’s morale.
Other congressional races
Danny Davis, 84, has announced that he will not seek re-election in the seventh congressional district he has represented since 1997, covering Chicago’s west side and the west side suburbs.
Thirteen people are running for the rare open congressional seat.
Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who challenged Davis in the 2024 primary, is running for the seat once again. After serving in the State Assembly, he is currently treasurer of the city of Chicago, an elected position. United Democracy Project, a group affiliated with Aipac, published ads I support Conyears-Ervin.
State representative La Shawn Ford had Davis’ endorsement. Ford, who ran for mayor of Chicago in 2019, saw ads supporting him from crypto-focused Fairshake.
And in the eighth congressional district, Krishnamoorthi’s U.S. Senate bid leaves an open field, with eight Democrats running.
Melissa Bean, a moderate, is on a comeback bid hoping to win the seat she lost to Republican Joe Walsh in 2010. Bean previously served as a U.S. representative from 2005 to 2011 and was a member of the Blue Dog coalition of moderate Democrats. She also received support from Elect Chicago Women, an outside group affiliated with Aipac.
The race to replace longtime congressman Jesús “Chuy” García in the majority-Hispanic fourth district sparked significant controversy when García chose to announce his retirement at the same time that his chief of staff, Patty García, joined the race. This left voters with only one option for the Democratic primary, leading moderate Washington congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to successfully propose a House resolution condemning Chuy García for “undermining the free and fair election process.”
Chris Stein contributed reporting
