In race to replace Durbin, Illinois Democrats run against Trump
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo collage: Getty Images
Three major candidates are duking it out to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in hopes of replacing retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin.
Why it matters: Illinois will have a senator not named Durbin for the first time since 1997.
State of play: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rep. Robin Kelly and Lt. Gov Juliana Stratton are on a blitzkrieg tour of televised forums, debates and interviews, while spending millions of dollars on campaign ads in the Chicago area.
The issues: This is an anti-President Trump race. The candidates have articulated several ways they would push back against the current administration, including calls to abolish ICE.
Follow the money: At the end of 2025, Krishnamoorthi had a sizeable lead with over $15 million in campaign cash, while Stratton and Kelly had closer to $1 million apiece.
The latest: Gov. JB Pritzker, who is supporting his lieutenant governor, just funneled $5 million into a super PAC supporting Stratton.
The intrigue: Now, the race gets even more intense as the candidates trot out high-profile endorsements:
- Krishnamoorthi has touted labor leaders and former Obama chief of staff Bill Daley.
- Stratton counts Pritzker and Illinois' other Sen. Tammy Duckworth in her camp.
- Kelly has support from a slew of her congressional colleagues, including Sen. Chris Murphy from Connecticut.
- There are other Democratic candidates, too.
Of note: Durbin is staying neutral. For now.
The other side: The Illinois GOP wants a crack at Durbin's seat, too. It hasn't been that long since a Republican represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate: Mark Kirk served until 2016.
- This year's candidates have largely been overshadowed in the media by the star power on the Democratic side, but that could change once the primary winners have been decided.
- The candidates are vast, but the frontrunner seems to be former Illinois GOP head Don Tracy. Tracy is running a very focused campaign, mostly on fiscal issues, aligning himself with the Trump administration priorities like reducing the size of the federal government.
- Tracy is racking up endorsements, including from former Sen. Kirk.
- Other candidates include Cary Capparelli, Casey Chlebek, Jeannie Evans, Pamela Denise Long and Jimmy Lee Tillman II.