Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton wins Illinois Democratic Senate primary

Democratic Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton of Illinois is now poised to become the fifth Black woman elected to the Senate in the nation’s history.

Stratton topped Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, his two main rivals among a crowded field of contenders, in a contentious and extremely expensive Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.

Stratton, a former state lawmaker who served two terms as lieutenant governor under Gov. JB Pritzker, a fellow Democrat, will now be seen as the clear front-runner in blue-leaning Illinois to succeed Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, who is retiring at the end of the year after three decades in the Senate.

PRITZKER FLEXES POLITICAL MUSCLE IN ILLINOIS SENATE PRIMARY

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks during a news conference Jan. 28, 2025, about the impact of President Donald Trump’s order to freeze billions of dollars in federal grants and loans. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is at right. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The Democratic Senate primaries, as well as election battles for a quartet of open-door Chicago-area seats, have been hotbeds of contentious cross-party disagreements over combating illegal immigration and policy toward Israel, how best to push back on President Donald Trump’s unprecedented second-term agenda and generational struggles among Democrats.

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Krishnamoorthi, born in India and immigrated to the United States with his family as a child, was the clear fundraising favorite in the Democratic primary and spent heavily on running ads. And a super PAC funded by crypto titans has shelled out nearly $10 million to support Krishnamoorthi.

Democratic U.S. Senate primary candidates U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton take the stage for a debate Jan. 26, 2026, at the University of Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

But Stratton was supported by Pritzker, who had many issues at stake in the Senate primary.

Indeed, the billionaire governor and potential 2028 White House contender, who has faced no opposition for his party’s nomination as he seeks to become the first three-term Democrat leading the nation’s sixth-most populous state, has dipped into his massive war chest to shell out millions to fund a super PAC supporting Stratton.

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois strongly endorsed Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in the 2026 Democratic state Senate primary. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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The Senate primary was seen as a test of Pritzker’s political influence in Illinois, as he likely prepares for a presidential campaign in 2028. The governor has seen his national profile soar over the past 14 months as he has emerged as one of the leading Democrats leading the resistance to Trump.