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  "path": "/government-politics/elections/2026/03/17/sen-dick-durbin-senate-seat-2026-illinois-democratic-primary-krishnamoorthi-kelly-stratton",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-18T03:27:21.645Z",
  "site": "https://www.wbez.org",
  "tags": [
    "_she went on the offensive_",
    "_$90,000 in contributions from key donors_",
    "_coming from a long history of taking in corporate contributions_",
    "_Steve Botsford Jr_",
    "_Sean Brown_",
    "_Awisi A. Bustos_",
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    "_Bryan Maxwell_",
    "_Kevin Ryan_",
    "_Christopher Swann_",
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    "7th District >](https://chicago.suntimes.com /elections/2026/03/17/us-house-illinois-7th-congressional-district-primary-results) | [8th District >",
    "8th District > | [9th District >",
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  ],
  "textContent": "Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has won the competitive Democratic primary race to replace U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin — on the heels of a late campaign surge and millions in support from longtime running mate Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.\n\nStratton's momentum was enough to overcome an astounding $29 million Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi spent on campaign ads. It began with a commanding debate performance in January and was amplified by strong ads in the final weeks of the campaign. Stratton outperformed Krishnamoorthi in the Metro East region, Sangamon County, Chicago and some suburbs of Cook County — which took away any lead the congressman had in some collar counties. Stratton led Krishnamoorthi 39.7% to 33.4% with 85% of votes counted. U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly was in third with 18.4%.\n\n\"We did it tonight. We showed what's possible when you listen to the people and give the people what they want,\" Stratton said at her election night party in North Lawndale. She called Pritzker, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and other political allies, \"steadfast partners and friends who have cheered me on and stood by my side day after day.\"\n\n\"We are ready to take our democracy back into our own hands,\" Stratton said of her victory.\n\nThe Senate race served as a test of Pritzker’s political might as he explores his own future, with the Democratic governor endorsing her just a day after she announced her run in April. The governor gave a pro-Stratton PAC $5 million, a strong rebuke to critics who questioned whether he would help boost her candidacy financially.\n\nU.S. Senate Democratic nominee Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton speaks during her election night party at CineCity Studios Chicago in the Little Italy, UIC neighborhood Tuesday.\n\nTyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times\n\nIt also served as a test for national Democrats on anti-ICE messaging, especially in the Chicago area where residents were largely affected by the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” last year. Stratton was the lone candidate to support completely abolishing ICE, offering up a more progressive stance for voters. Krishnamoorthi vowed support for “abolishing Trump’s ICE,” the same position as Pritzker.\n\nIllinois will see its fourth Black senator in the Senate if Stratton wins the reliably blue seat in November. She would also become the sixth Black woman to serve in the current Senate.\n\nStratton served in the Illinois General Assembly before Pritzker tapped her to serve as his running mate in 2018. Pritzker won an uncontested Democratic party on Tuesday for his third term in office.\n\n\"Courage inspired me to run. Courage powered this campaign and courage will bring this fight straight to Donald Trump’s door,\" Stratton said on Tuesday night. \"We will fight for Medicare for all. We will fight to abolish ICE. We’ll fight for a real living wage, not just the bare minimum. We will fight to defend our rights and claw our democracy back from the brink...Tomorrow the work begins again.\"\n\nStratton supports a $25 an hour minimum wage plan, while Krishnamoorthi and Kelly had supported a $17 an hour plan, which they said would have a more realistic chance of passing in the Senate.\n\nIn his concession speech, Krishnamoorthi thanked his family and supporters and called the country, \"the greatest country on Earth for giving an immigrant kid and his family the chance to live the American Dream.\"\n\n\"Only in this country could my story, and only in this country could a kid like me serve in the halls of Congress,\" Krishnamoorthi said. \"And now we must come together as Democrats and as Americans to make sure that we return to the principles that made us a beacon of freedom and opportunity for the world.\"\n\nAs the primary tightened, super PACs began to blow up the race to try to help Krishnamoorthi. The congressman’s loss also serves as a test of just how effective campaign ads are some nine months ahead of Election Day. In total, The Impact Fund — featuring pro-Krishnamoorthi donors, Progressive Values Illinois, pro-crypto PACs Protect Progress and Fairshake, the Democratic Lieutenant Governor’s Association PAC and the pro-Stratton Illinois Future PAC spent more than $16.85 million in the Senate race, according to a Sun-Times analysis.\n\nFairshake, funded primarily by Trump megadonors and business partners Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, spent more than $5.5 million, running anti-Stratton ads. AdImpact, which tracks ads that are reserved by TV stations, has total spending for Fairshake at $8.2 million.\n\nCheers erupted at Stratton’s watch party in North Lawndale as polls showed her in the lead at 9 p.m. Charles Rushing, 50, of Hyde Park said he knows Stratton personally. But he said in spite of his personal bias, she was the best candidate. Stratton has the endorsement of Pritzker and he’s doing a “great job,” said Rushing.\n\nRushing, a 20-year U.S. Army veteran, wore a sticker that read “F*CK Trump Vote Juliana.” Trump’s military actions are “an impeachable offense,” Rushing said.\n\nMeanwhile, Stratton is “honest, trustworthy and keeps her commitments, personally and professionally,” Rushing added.\n\nAt Krishnamoorthi's election night party in downtown Chicago, Iqbal Brainch, of Wilmette, tried to stay positive as his hopes were sinking.\n\n\"It's not looking the way that we had hoped at this point,\" Brainch said.\n\nAs an Indian American himself, Brainch said seeing Krishnamoorthi become only the second Indian American U.S. Senator would have been a step in the right direction and represent an overlooked group of people.\n\n\"He's just been an advocate for our community,\" he said. \"You think back to 2016 and that election happened and Hillary [Clinton] was about to break the glass ceiling... very much in that way, he's breaking the glass ceiling for Indian Americans in politics.\"\n\nU.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate, walks off the stage after conceding at his election night watch party at the Westin Hotel in River North Tuesday. Krishnamoorthi lost his bid for senator to Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.\n\nAnthony Vazquez/Sun-Times\n\nStratton had two big turning points in her campaign, including a first debate in January in which _she went on the offensive_ against Krishnamoorthi. Another boost came with Pritzker’s cash infusion to the Illinois Future PAC, which allowed it to blast out ads to support her and criticize Krishnamoorthi.\n\nThe Sun-Times in December reported that Krishnamoorthi accepted more than _$90,000 in contributions from key donors_ to President Donald Trump and MAGA _,_ including Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar. Palantir has a $30 million contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide tools to track self-deportation. The company has been an ICE contractor since 2011. Krishnamoorthi ultimately donated $33,000 to three immigrant rights groups — but Stratton frequently criticized Krishnamoorthi for the donations in debates and ads.\n\nFor her part, Stratton was hit by the Krishnamoorthi campaign for vowing not to take corporate PAC money, but _coming from a long history of taking in corporate contributions_. She was also criticized for a CBS report that highlighted a Stratton-aligned super PAC receiving a six-figure donation from ICE contractor CoreCivic.\n\nKelly, who has represented the 2nd Congressional District since 2013, watched the Krishnamoorthi-Stratton feud and largely stayed out of it. Her final TV ad was called “Distraction,” and it featured her watching attack ads from the two and declaring, “Oh hell no.”\n\nKelly gave up her seat to run for the Senate, so her loss marks the end of her congressional career. In a concession speech, Kelly said she was proud of the campaign she ran.\n\n\"I know I'm on the right side of the issues. What was very important to me when I first started running was I said I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror,\" Kelly said. \"I can still look at myself in the mirror.\"\n\nDurbin in a statement said he looked forward \"to passing the torch\" to Stratton at the end of his term.\n\n“Now our attention must turn to ensuring Juliana wins the general election on November 3,\" Durbin said. \"With Donald Trump in the White House for another two years, the challenges facing our country and state will continue to be historic and unprecedented. We need Juliana Stratton fighting alongside Senator Duckworth everyday come January 3, 2027.”\n\n _Steve Botsford Jr_., _Sean Brown_, _Awisi A. Bustos_, _Jonathan Dean_, _Bryan Maxwell_, _Kevin Ryan_ and _Christopher Swann_ rounded out the field of Democratic candidates.\n\nIn the Republican primary for the Senate seat, former Illinois Republican Party chair Don Tracy was declared the winner — 40% over Jeannie Evans with 22.6%, with 65% of the vote counted.\n\n_Contributing: Araceli Gómez-Aldana, WBEZ_\n\n**Voter resources**\nVoter Guide > \nBallot look-up tool >\nCandidate profiles > \nPolling place look-up > \n\n**Races we’re watching**\nU.S. Senate >\nU.S. House > | 2nd District > | 7th District >](https://chicago.suntimes.com /elections/2026/03/17/us-house-illinois-7th-congressional-district-primary-results) | 8th District > | [9th District > \nGovernor (GOP) > | Illinois Comptroller > | Illinois General Assembly >\nCook County President > | Cook County Board of Review > | Cook County Assessor >\n",
  "title": "Juliana Stratton defeats Raja Krishnamoorthi in Senate Democratic primary battle for Dick Durbin's seat",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-18T03:27:21.645Z"
}