It’s a heated and crowded race for the U.S. Senate seat that Dick Durbin has held for nearly 30 years, so Illinois voters are witnessing a generational shift in Senate leadership in Tuesday’s primary elections, with 10 Democrats and six Republicans running for Durbin’s seat. Durbin is stepping down at the end of his term, and the three front-runners for the Democratic nomination are U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. Krishnamoorthi has represented the 8th Congressional District covering Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs since 2017, and has raised more than $30 million for his campaign, the second most of any candidate for U.S. Senate nationwide in 2026.Stratton has been Gov. JB Pritzker’s lieutenant governor since 2019, and has received not only his endorsement, but more than $5 million in financial backing.Kelly has represented the 2nd Congressional District covering parts of Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs as well as central Illinois since 2013.Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be the heavy favorite in the general election in November. Illinois has elected only two Republicans to the U.S. Senate since Durbin was first elected in 1996: Peter Fitzgerald for one term in 1998 and Mark Kirk for one term in 2010.If he wins the primary and goes on to win the general election, Krishnamoorthi would be the second Indian American elected to the U.S. Senate after Kamala Harris.Stratton or Kelly, if either wins the primary and later the general election, would be the fourth African American elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois, joining Carol Moseley Braun, Barack Obama and Roland Burris. Durbin, the fifth most senior member of the Senate and the Senate Democratic Whip, has held his seat in the Senate since 1997. He is the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he led the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in 2022. He also sits on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. His retirement is expected to serve as the impetus for a broader shakeup of the Democratic Senate leadership.The race to replace Durbin has been one of the most expensive Senate races in the U.S. in 2026.According to federal campaign finance records, Krishnamoorthi significantly outraised his opponents in the race, having brought in more than $30 million for his campaign — the second most of any candidate for U.S. Senate. Stratton has raised more than $4 million, and Kelly has raised more than $3 million. According to Capitol News Illinois, Illinois Future PAC has filled the void for Stratton, spending more than $10 million to boost her bid for the Senate seat. Gov. JB Pritzker has funded the PAC to the tune of at least $5 million.In the final debate last week between the Democratic candidates before the primary election, funding campaigns remained the number one topic. Kelly took direct aim at Stratton, who touts that she doesn’t take corporate PAC money. Kelly asked about the huge sums coming from billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker.”One billionaire family has donated 73% of what you have received, so are you obligated to them?” Kelly said. Stratton, meantime, took aim at Krishnamoorthi, who received, then donated away, money from a Palantir executive — a company with major ICE contracts.”Congressman, you did not even think about returning the funding until the public called for you to do so,” Stratton said. “When you presided over the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, under your leadership, the DLGA solicited and received tens of thousands from CoreCivic, the largest private prison operator in the U.S. that operated the ICE Broadview Center,” Krishnamoorthi responded.
Crowded primary races for U.S. Senate in Illinois come down to the wire as Durbin set to retire
