With Election Day tomorrow, Illinois' crowded primary races for governor and U.S. Senate are entering their final stretch as candidates travel across the state to sway last-minute voters.

Why it matters: Monday is the traditional day when candidates criss-cross the state in a final push to sway last-minute voters with rallies, meetings, appearances and speeches.

The big picture: Republicans, including former state Sen. Darren Bailey, Ted Dabrowski, Rick Heidner and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, are competing for the chance to challenge incumbent Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker in November.

• Meanwhile, the Democratic primary to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin has three major candidates, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Rep. Robin Kelly, flooding the airwaves and shaking hands across the state.

By the numbers: Democratic Senate candidates have spent more than $50 million on ads so far.

Reality check: While the race has drawn a flood of Super PAC spending, the Krishnamoorthi campaign itself has spent twice as much as any other candidate.

• The winner will advance to the November general election in a race Democrats are heavily favored to win.

Here's where some of the major candidates will be on Monday:

• Bailey and his running mate, Aaron Del Mar, are doing a "statewide fly around," starting in downstate Marion, stopping in Rantoul, Bloomington, Galesburg and Poplar Grove, and ending in Palatine Monday night, the closest to the Chicago area.
• Krishnamoorthi will be holding a get-out-the-vote rally tonight in Schaumburg.
• Stratton is keeping it close to home, visiting several Chicago wards, like the 22nd (Southwest Side), 43rd (Lincoln Park), 47th (Lincoln Square) and 49th (Rogers Park).
• Kelly will also be staying local, campaigning across various neighborhoods, including Pilsen and Bronzeville.

The intrigue: The weather. Snow across the state today could hinder candidates' last-minute plans.

What's next: Polls open at 6am Tuesday and close at 7pm. Voters who are in line at 7pm will be allowed to cast ballots.

The bottom line: Monday is the final blitz before Illinois voters decide Tuesday who advances to the November ballot.

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Chicago rents have risen faster than in the nation's other nine largest cities.

Why it matters: Housing costs are rising faster than many renters' incomes. A new Harvard report finds a record number of renters are "cost-burdened," spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities.

By the numbers: The median rent in the metro Chicago area rose 4% from February 2025 to February 2026, coming in at $1,670 a month.

• That's still lower than New York ($2,245), Los Angeles ($2,167) and Washington, D.C. ($2,122).

State of play: Chicago's rental share was 53% in 2023, according to the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University.

• The supply of affordable housing has not kept up with demand, forcing more renters into housing they can't afford.

Between the lines: More people are renting as homebuying remains out of reach.

What we're watching

🚨 Downtown St. Patrick's Day celebrations turned ugly Saturday with several fights and a stabbing at a CTA train station. (ABC 7)

🏀 The Illini men's basketball team snagged the No. 3 seed in the South Region of the NCAA tournament. Their first-round matchup will be Thursday against Penn. (Writing Illini)

• On the women's side: Illinois (No. 7 seed), Notre Dame (No. 6) and Western Illinois University (No. 13) all made the NCAA tournament and will play this weekend. (CBS Sports)

📚 Three finalists, including interim CEO Macquline King, are being considered to be the next Chicago Public Schools chief, the school board announced. (Chalkbeat)

✈️ Southwest is leaving O'Hare Airport later this year, but all 15 destinations currently served from O'Hare will still be offered from Midway. (Tribune)

Last week, we wrote about how Indiana seems hellbent on stealing from Illinois, whether it's downstate counties or our professional football team.

We asked readers: What would you let Indiana take next?

• "Indiana could take our pension debt and all of the Stan Donuts." — Estela D.
• "I cordially invite the great state of Indiana, especially the fine town of Pawnee, to pry from the hands of Illinois the soul-searing, dream-crushing & national embarrassment-level pay-to-play political culture. We'll throw in the jumpsuits!" — Christine W.
• "How about Indiana taking the Cubs? Wrigley Field could be turned into a casino/bar/beer garden as that's its current description anyway." — Rick W.
• "Axios, FOR SHAME. I'll give Indiana my Malört when they pry it from my cold, dead hands!" — Matt B.

Fine, Matt B. We'll keep Malört. For now.

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Think you can beat Justin, a self-proclaimed college basketball savant, in a bracket challenge?

Sign up for our free Axios Chicago group on ESPN and enter a bracket for the men's or women's side or both!

How it works: Entries must be completed by tournament tipoff time (12:15pm Thursday for the men, 11:30am Friday for the women).

What you get: You'll earn some bragging rights and maybe some cool Axios swag.

The bottom line: There's no pressure. Once you've submitted your brackets, feel free to send safe-for-work trash talk our way throughout the week.

• Because you know Justin will. 🤣