Eleven Democrats vying for retiring Sen Durbin's open seat marque race in Tuesday's Illinois primary

Two other longtime members of the state's congressional delegation are also retiring this term

Published: March 17, 2026 1:29pm

Sen. Dick Durbin's replacement has become the focus in the Illinois Democratic primary elections on Tuesday as 11 candidates run in an effort to win his seat.

Durbin, 81, and two other longtime members of the state's congressional delegation are retiring this term, Reuters reported.

Illinois, a heavily Democratic state, is not expected to be competitive for Republicans in November's midterm elections.

Some of the top candidates in the Democratic Senate primary to replace Durbin include Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, and Illinois Lieutenant Gov. Juliana Stratton.

Stratton, who was endorsed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, has called for abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, saying, "ICE cannot be reformed."

Her stance comes amid President Trump's immigration crackdown in the Chicago area.

She also wants to raise the $7.25 federal minimum wage to $25 per hour, while her two opponents have agreed on $17. Stratton's campaign has raised $4 million and has $1.3 million cash on hand.

In January, Kelly introduced an impeachment resolution against former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversaw ICE until Trump fired her earlier this month. Krishnamoorthi said he wants to fire "Trump's ICE," but not necessarily shutter the agency forever.

Krishnamoorthi has surpassed his opponents in campaign fundraising, with $6.6 million cash on hand after raising more than $30 million.

He has pushed for expanding Medicare, including allowing people as young as 50 to buy into the program.

Meanwhile, Stratton and Kelly are appealing to progressive voters by calling for a single-payer, "Medicare for all" program.

Kelly has raised $3.3 million, and her campaign has nearly $721,000 in cash, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Former Illinois Republican Party chairman Don Tracy is a top contender among several candidates running in the Republican Senate primary.

Several Democratic and Republican candidates are also running for party nominations to succeed retiring Illinois Reps. Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky. Both Democrats are in reliably left-leaning, Chicago-area districts.

There are also primary races for three other open House seats, including Krishnamoorthi's and Kelly's, as they run for Senate.