Illinois primary 2026: High drama sets up key November races

The latest: Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton will be the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, while Republican Darren Bailey will face incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker in a rematch of their 2022 race.

• Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss narrowly secured the Democratic nomination for the 9th Congressional District, while Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller ended Jesse Jackson Jr.'s comeback bid in the 2nd District.

The big picture: Nearly 26% of registered voters cast ballots in the city, but that number could climb once all the votes are tallied.

• That is already higher than the 2022 midterm primary.

Yes, but: It's still only about a quarter of voters.

Why it matters: Bitter, negative campaigns, fueled by millions in outside spending, may have alienated voters.

What they're saying: "This has been the most divisive primary of my lifetime," Longtime Democratic activist Dave Lundy tells Axios.

• "What's made this different is that they've been extremely personal. I have lost friendships."

The intrigue: Much of that hostility comes from outside super PACs, including groups linked to artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and pro-Israel interests, which poured millions into attack ads and heightened divisions within the Democratic Party.

• The PACs played a significant role in the Senate primary as some candidates were aggressively targeted by these national interests.

Zoom out: While most of the tense primary races in our area involved Democrats, Republicans also selected their candidates for November, including former Illinois Republican Party chairman Don Tracy, who will face Stratton in November.

The bottom line: Turnout exceeded expectations, but participation remains relatively low.