Juliana Stratton wins Democratic primary race for US Senate in Illinois, AP projects
Juliana Stratton says she's ready to fight after US Senate primary win
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton was the victor in the Democratic primary race for the open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois.
CHICAGO - Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is projected to win the Democratic nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat in hopes of replacing Dick Durbin, who will retire at the end of this term.
Stratton, who has served nearly two terms with Gov. JB Pritzker, bested a competitive field of candidates that included U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly for a chance to win a rare open Senate seat.
Don Tracy, the former chair of the Illinois GOP, won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, according to the AP.
The winner of Tuesday's Democratic primary election will almost certainly go on to win November's general election. A Republican has not won a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois since 2010.
Six Republican candidates were on the ballot in the GOP primary race.
U.S. senators are elected statewide to six-year terms.
Illinois Primary Election Results 2026
For full statewide coverage, view our Illinois primary election results 2026.
About the Illinois U.S. Senate primary race
The backstory:
Krishnamoorthi has consistently outpaced his top rivals in polling and fundraising throughout the primary race. He's represented parts of Chicago's northwest suburbs in Congress since 2017,
Stratton has closed the polling gap in recent weeks, and has the support of Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth. She's served as Pritzker's second-in-command since their election in 2018.
Kelly has represented parts of Chicago's South Side, south suburbs and rural eastern Illinois since 2013. She also briefly served as the head of the Democratic Party of Illinois and recently spearheaded an effort to impeach DHS Sec. Kristi Noem.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, center, speaks during a debate with her fellow candidates, U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly, left, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, on Feb. 16, 2026, at Fox WFLD-Ch. 32, in Chicago. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribu
The other candidates in the Republican primary were R. Cary Capparelli, Casey Chlebek, Jeannie Evans, Pamela Denise Long, and Jimmy Lee Tillman.
Durbin, 81, announced last year he would not seek another term as senator, setting up a rare open race in the Democratic primary.
Regardless of who wins, the Democratic nominee is very likely to win in November, considering recent electoral history in Illinois. In the last two U.S. Senate races in Illinois, the Democratic candidate earned at least 55% of the statewide vote.
Plus, Democrats are widely expected to ride political momentum and win at least the House of Representatives as President Trump's approval numbers continue to show him underwater.
The general election is slated for Nov. 3.