{"id":33157,"date":"2026-03-18T07:07:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=33157"},"modified":"2026-03-18T07:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:07:12","slug":"stratton-claims-democrat-us-senate-nomination-will-face-tracy-in-november","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/33157-stratton-claims-democrat-us-senate-nomination-will-face-tracy-in-november\/","title":{"rendered":"Stratton Claims Democrat US Senate Nomination, Will Face Tracy in November"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Former Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy set to face Stratton in November\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By BEN SZALINSKI, BRENDEN MOORE &amp; JENNA SCHWEIKERT<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capitol News Illinois<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><a href=\"mailto:news@capitolnewsillinois.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">news@capitolnewsillinois.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Article Summary<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the hotly contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, defeating U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stratton performed better than expected in many downstate counties and the city of Chicago.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Former Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy won the Republican nomination for Senate and will face Stratton in November.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several primaries were decided on Tuesday night in Illinois\u2019 five open congressional districts.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CHICAGO \u2014 Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton rode a late wave of momentum to win the Democratic nomination for Illinois\u2019 open U.S. Senate seat, toppling longtime frontrunner Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi with the financial aid and political muscle of Gov. JB Pritzker and an outsider message that set her apart from her rivals with Washington experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With 82% of precincts reporting, Stratton had a 39.6% to 33.6% lead over Krishnamoorthi, a margin of about 50,000 votes out of more than 900,000 cast. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Lynwood, was in third place with 18.5%. The Associated Press called the race for Stratton at 9:40 p.m. Tuesday evening.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEleven months ago, I made a promise to Illinois to be the fighter you deserve, to go to the mat fighting for you, and bring your voices with me to Washington,\u201d Stratton told supporters on Chicago\u2019s West Side. \u201cI haven&#8217;t forgotten that promise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stratton received about 44% of the vote in Chicago to Kelly\u2019s 25% and Krishnamoorthi\u2019s 23%. She essentially fought suburban Cook County to a draw with Krishnamoorthi while he came out ahead in the suburban collar counties besides Will County, where Stratton led.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stratton also led in many downstate counties, especially population centers in the Metro East, Springfield, Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe never lost sight of what&#8217;s most important, and that is courage, courage, inspired me to run,\u201d Stratton said. \u201cCourage powered this campaign, and courage will bring this fight straight to Donald Trump&#8217;s door.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stratton pledged to continue calling for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, raising the minimum wage and instituting Medicaid for All.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt&#8217;s time for bold ideas, big dreams and real courage in Washington, and we won&#8217;t wait a second longer,\u201d Stratton said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Across town at Krishnamoorthi\u2019s event, the energy in the room was flat the entire night as results streaming on a large projector continually showed Stratton ahead. Eventually, the feed was cut off and replaced with a large \u201cRaja\u201d campaign logo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the Associated Press had yet to call the race, Krishnamoorthi took the stage shortly after 9:30 p.m. to announce that he\u2019d called Stratton to concede the race.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KRISHNAMOORTHI<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cObviously, this is not the result we sought,\u201d a somber-looking Krishnamoorthi, flanked by his wife and two of his children, told supporters. \u201cBut unlike Donald Trump, I&#8217;m not going to question the outcome. I&#8217;m proud of the race we ran. And I&#8217;m honored at the support we received from every corner of the state, from Rockford to Cairo and from the Quad Cities to Decatur.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Referencing an old Chicago machine phrase about excluding outsiders from party politics, Krishnamoorthi cast himself as the guy \u201cnobody sent.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He thanked supporters \u201cwho had the courage to defy the party establishment and endorse the candidate with 29 letters in his name.\u201d He also thanked his donors, whom he credited with enabling him to \u201ccompete against very wealthy interests,\u201d a not-so-veiled reference to Gov. JB Pritzker, who largely bankrolled a super PAC that backed Stratton.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>End of long primary season<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tuesday night marked the conclusion of a lengthy and expensive primary campaign to replace Sen. Dick Durbin, who has held the seat since 1997, and did not make an endorsement in the race.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Krishnamoorthi spent years laying the groundwork for a Senate run. He made frequent stops across the state, from fundraisers for various county Democratic parties to official congressional events well outside the boundaries of his suburban congressional district.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was also the most aggressive fundraiser in the Illinois congressional delegation, banking more than $19 million before he launched his Senate run in May 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He continued fundraising at a breakneck pace, allowing him to run television advertisements nonstop since last July \u2014 more than six months before any other campaign or outside political action committee got on the air. Krishnamoorthi\u2019s campaign spent more than $27 million on ads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The name recognition attained through his paid media blitz allowed Krishnamoorthi to build an early polling lead on his main rivals, Stratton and Kelly. However, Krishnamoorthi\u2019s numbers eventually hit a ceiling, remaining stubbornly stuck in the mid-to-high 30s even as he continued to lead his opponents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stratton entered the race with Pritzker\u2019s endorsement. But after seven years as the self-funding billionaire\u2019s No. 2, she struggled to fundraise on her own \u2014 a problem exacerbated by strict federal contribution limits to campaign committees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PRITZKER-STRATTON<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She attempted to turn this weakness into a strength by pledging not to accept donations from corporate political action committees. She also made bold policy proposals like an hourly $25 minimum wage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But she really started gaining ground on Krishnamoorthi in January, when the Pritzker-funded Illinois Future PAC finally launched a long-expected ad campaign on her behalf.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike candidate committees, which are subject to strict contribution limits, PACs can raise unlimited sums, making it an attractive option for Pritzker to exert outsized influence on the race.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Krishnamoorthi simultaneously faced tough headlines over more than $90,000 in contributions from donors with ties to President Donald Trump, including nearly $30,000 from Shyam Sankar, the chief technology officer of Palantir, a company that holds a $30 million contract with ICE to help track individuals for deportation. Krishnamoorthi donated a sum equaling Sankar\u2019s contributions to immigrant rights organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was around the same time Operation Midway Blitz dominated the headlines, drawing negative attention to federal immigration officers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kelly has served in Congress since 2013 and previously served a stint as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois before being ousted by Pritzker-backed Lisa Hernandez. She cast herself as a progressive in the race who could work across the aisle to get things accomplished.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Kelly also struggled to break out due to a lack of resources, always remaining a distant third place behind Krishnamoorthi and Stratton.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Stratton gained in the polls, dark money PACs with ties to the cryptocurrency industry poured more than $10 million into ads against her. They also sought to boost Kelly, leading to accusations that the effort was meant to split the Black vote between Stratton and Kelly, who are both Black women.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stratton begins the general election as a heavy favorite to succeed Durbin, facing off against former Republican Party Chair Don Tracy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seven other candidates were also on the ballot and received about 9% of the vote.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Republican results<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the Republican primary for Durbin\u2019s open Senate seat, Tracy received 40% of the vote as of 10 p.m. Tuesday evening. Tracy faced five other candidates in the primary race, which lacked the same attention as the Democratic primary with a field of lesser-known candidates with little political experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TRACY<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe stand before you tonight as the Illinois Republican nominee for the United States Senate. Thank you again for entrusting me with this important nomination,\u201d Tracy said at his watch party in Springfield. \u201cWith your help, we&#8217;ll deliver that underdog victory in November that will shock the nation and make Illinois better, more balanced and a stronger state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tracy said his top priority will be reducing cost of living in key areas like energy and health care. The mood at the watch party was quiet initially, picking up as supporters watched results roll in. Kathy Salvi, the current Illinois Republican Party chair and the party\u2019s failed Senate candidate in 2022, spoke to the growing crowd around 8 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI am absolutely delighted to be here for you, Don,\u201d Salvi said. \u201cEverything that you stand for will elevate and bring hope and promise to Illinois.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of the five other candidates, Chicago attorney Jeannie Evans received about 22% of the vote, real estate manager Casey Chlebek received 11%, and the final three candidates received about 25% collectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Congressional results<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Four of the five open congressional seats saw intense competition in their primary races this cycle, with dozens of candidates seeking rare open seats in Congress and an unprecedented $62 million contributed in direct campaign contributions and outside funding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the 9th Congressional District, Evanston mayor Daniel Biss won with about 30% of the vote as of 10 p.m. The contentious primary in one of the state\u2019s most liberal districts gained national attention after candidates sparred over whether they aligned with the views of American Israel Public Affairs Committee and one candidate was charged by the federal government with conspiring to impede immigration agents. Biss, a former state senator who lost the 2018 gubernatorial primary to Gov. JB Pritzker, will face Republican John Elleson in the November general election.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the 2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Congressional District, Cook County commissioner Donna Miller beat nine candidates including state senator Robert Peters and former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. with 40% of the vote as of 10 p.m. Miller will face Republican Michael Scott Noack, who won his primary uncontested, in the general election.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the 7th Congressional District, state Rep. La Shawn Ford won the Democratic primary against 12 other candidates, with just under 25% of the vote as of 10 p.m. Ford will face the GOP primary winner Chad Koppie in November.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the 8<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Congressional District, former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean won her primary with about 32% of the vote as of 10 p.m. and will face Republican nominee Jennifer Davis in November.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 4<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Congressional District is also open this fall but did not have a contested primary. The November election is expected to be a tense battle between Democratic nominee Patty Garcia and candidates who filed as independents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/capitolnewsillinois.com\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capitol News Illinois<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy set to face Stratton in November\u00a0 By BEN SZALINSKI, BRENDEN MOORE &amp; JENNA SCHWEIKERT Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com\u00a0 Article Summary Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stratton Claims Democrat US Senate Nomination, Will Face Tracy in November - Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham&#039;s News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/33157-stratton-claims-democrat-us-senate-nomination-will-face-tracy-in-november\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stratton Claims Democrat US Senate Nomination, Will Face Tracy in November - 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