Illinois' primary season featured big money, bitter fights and higher-than-expected turnout — setting up a handful of high-stakes general election matchups this November.

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.

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

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 these campaigns have 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.

Between the lines: The night offered mixed results for those supported by super PACs. Melissa Bean and Donna Miller were backed by AIPAC-linked groups and won their congressional primaries.

Yes, but: La Shawn Ford and Daniel Biss overcame super PAC attack ads and beat opponents who were supported by AIPAC-affiliated groups.

Zoom out: While most of the tense primary races in our area involved Democrats, Republicans also selected their candidates for November.

⬇️ Keep reading for results on more races.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton used late campaign momentum to win the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin.

Why it matters: Stratton leaned on support from Gov. JB Pritzker and other high-profile Democrats to overcome rival Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi's sizable fundraising advantage.

What they're saying: "This campaign was built on a simple belief: we are stronger when we stand together, and we are unshakeable when we turn our fear into courage and our anger into action," Stratton said in her victory speech last night.

By the numbers: Democratic Senate candidates spent more than $50 million on political ads, with Krishnamoorthi spending roughly twice as much as any other candidate.

• Stratton, who said she would not accept super PAC money, did receive millions from a political action committee funded by Pritzker.

The bottom line: Stratton will advance to the November general election against former Illinois Republican Party chair Don Tracy.

• Tracy is a more moderate Republican who focused his campaign on economic issues like lowering the cost of food.
• He's backed by former U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, the last Illinois Republican to hold a Senate seat.

Go deeper

Republican Darren Bailey is headed for a rematch with Gov. JB Pritzker.

The latest: Bailey won the Illinois Republican gubernatorial primary, defeating Ted Dabrowski, Rick Heidner and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick.

Zoom in: Bailey, a farmer and former state lawmaker, is running with Cook County Republican Aaron Del Mar as his lieutenant governor.

• He used the primary to hammer Pritzker on taxes and crime, portraying the governor as weak on public safety.

Zoom out: Bailey largely avoided Chicago during the primary, a city he repeatedly criticized in 2022.

The bottom line: Bailey is betting the political environment has shifted, but he'll need a very different coalition than in 2022 to make this race competitive.

Read more about Bailey

Here's a quick roundup of hotly contested congressional races:

2nd District: Cook County Board Commissioner Donna Miller defeated Jesse Jackson, Jr. in the Democratic primary for Illinois' 2nd District, a seat held by Rep. Robin Kelly, who left it to run for U.S. Senate. Miller will take on Republican Mike Noack in November.

7th District: State Rep. La Shawn Ford was victorious in the Democratic primary for retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis' West Side seat. Ford has pushed for regulated hemp sales and supervised drug use sites on the West Side. Chad Koppie is Ford's opponent in the General.

8th District: Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean won the primary for her old seat that opened up when Krishnamoorthi decided to run for Senate. Bean, who held the seat last in 2010, will square off against Republican Jennifer Davis in November.

9th District: Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss had name recognition and retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky's endorsement to slide past progressive Gen Zer Kat Abughazaleh and state Sen. Laura Fine. Biss takes on Republican John Elleson in November.

More Congressional race results

🏠 The Chicago Housing Authority has named Keith Pettigrew as its new CEO. Pettigrew currently leads Washington, D.C.'s public housing agency. (Tribune)

🧑‍🚒 Firefighter Michael Altman died yesterday after suffering injuries in a Rogers Park fire on Monday. Altman came from a family of Chicago firefighters, including his grandfather, who was commissioner in the 1990s. (Sun-Times)

🎸 The Smashing Pumpkins will headline at Lollapalooza this summer for the first time since 1994. (Pitchfork)

This is what the general election looks like for statewide races in November.

• Governor and Lt. Governor: Darren Bailey and Aaron Del Mar (R) vs. JB Pritzker and Christian Mitchell (D)
• Attorney General: Bob Fioretti (R) vs. Kwame Raoul (D)
• Secretary of State: Diane Harris (R) vs. Alexi Giannoulias (D)
• Treasurer: Michael Frerichs doesn't have a Republican challenger
• Comptroller: The Democratic race is still too close to call, even though Margaret Croke declared victory over opponent Karina Villa late last night. The winner will face Bryan Drew (R).

Dig into State Senate and House race results

Cook County Board President: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle won the Democratic primary, defeating Ald. Brendan Reilly, with about 70% of the vote. Preckwinkle faces Libertarian candidate Michael Murphy in November, but the GOP has no challenger in the race.

Cook County Assessor: Lyons Township Assessor Pat Hynes seized on Cook County voters' dissatisfaction with property taxes to upset incumbent Assessor Fritz Kaegi. No Republican is running, so Hynes will appear on the November ballot unopposed.

Cook County Board of Review: Samantha Steele, the incumbent who ran for reelection while fighting drunk driving allegations, lost big to Liz Nicholson. Meanwhile, incumbent George Cardenas held off former Friends of the Park leader Juanita Irizarry.

More County race results

We are exhausted. Here are some fun moments from last night's festivities:

More photos here