2026 United States Senate election in Illinois

2026 United States Senate election in Illinois
November 3, 2026
 
Nominee Juliana Stratton Don Tracy
Party Democratic Republican
Incumbent U.S. senator

Dick Durbin
Democratic


The 2026 United States Senate election in Illinois will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois. Current Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who was re-elected in 2020 with 54.9% of the vote, decided not to run for a sixth term in office. This will be the first open Senate seat race in Illinois since 2010 and the first for this Class II seat since 1996, when Durbin was first elected.

Primary elections were held on March 17, 2026. If elected, Juliana Stratton will become the second African American woman U.S. Senator elected from Illinois, after Carol Moseley Braun in 1999.

Background

On April 23, 2025, incumbent Senator Dick Durbin, who has held the seat since 1997, announced he would not run for re-election.[1] The next day, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton announced her campaign with the support of Governor JB Pritzker.[2]

Later, it was reported that U.S. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Robin Kelly, and Lauren Underwood were thinking about running.[3][4] Kelly announced her candidacy on May 6, followed by Krishnamoorthi the next day, while Underwood announced that she would not run.[5][6]

On March 17, 2026, Stratton was announced as the winner of the Democratic primary, beating U.S. Representatives Krishnamoorthi and Kelly.[7][8]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Disqualified

  • Adam Delgado, former ATF agent[19]
  • Anthony Williams, pastor and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022[19]

Withdrawn

Declined

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • R. Cary Capparelli, former member of the Illinois International Port District board (2000–2009) and perennial candidate[27]
  • Casey Chlebek, national director for the Polish American Congress PAC and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020 and 2022[28]
  • Jeannie Evans, attorney[29]
  • Pamela Denise Long, occupational therapist[30]
  • Jimmy Lee Tillman, author[31]

Disqualified

Withdrawn

  • John Goodman, former police officer[33]

Declined

Notes

  1. ↑ Removed due to sustained objection

References

  1. ↑ Pecorin, Allison (April 23, 2025). "Sen. Dick Durbin announces retirement after decades in Congress". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  2. ↑ "Juliana Stratton Launches Campaign for U.S. Senate, Promising to Center 'Middle Class'". WTTW News. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  3. ↑ Ahern, Mary Ann; Schmidt, Rose (2025-05-01). "Sources: Pritzker team calls congresswoman 'damaged goods,' seeking to stop potential Senate run". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  4. ↑ Kapos, Shia (2025-05-02). "Senate race's sharp elbows". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  5. 1 2 "Rep. Lauren Underwood says she won't seek Dick Durbin Senate seat". Chicago Sun-Times. 2025-05-19. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  6. 1 2 Piekos, Christina; Wall, Craig (April 25, 2025). "Governor JB Pritzker endorses Juliana Stratton for Senate". WLS-TV. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  7. ↑ Tareen, Sophia (2026-03-17). "Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton wins Democratic primary for US Senate". AP News. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  8. ↑ Petrella, Dan; Soglin, Talia; Royal Pratt, Gregory (2026-03-18). "Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton wins Democratic nomination for US Senate". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  9. ↑ Sfondeles, Tina (April 24, 2025). "Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton becomes first major Democrat to launch Senate bid to replace Durbin". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  10. ↑ Koch, Jason (October 28, 2025). "Watch: Full interview with Senate candidate Steve Botsford". Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  11. ↑ Koch, Jason (October 1, 2025). "Seven questions with US senate candidate Sean Brown". Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ Schilke, Rachel (June 12, 2025). "Cheri Bustos denounces daughter-in-law's Illinois Senate run to succeed Durbin". Washington Examiner. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  13. ↑ Palmer, Brad (September 24, 2025). "Another candidate will seek Illinois' U.S. Senate seat". WSIU Public Broadcasting. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  14. ↑ Schultz, Paris (2025-05-06). "U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly launches Senate bid to succeed Dick Durbin". WFLD. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
  15. ↑ Lesniewski, Niels (2025-05-07). "Krishnamoorthi joins Illinois Senate race". Roll Call. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  16. ↑ Koch, Jason (October 1, 2025). "Seven questions with US senate candidate Brian Maxwell". Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  17. ↑ Hinton, Dave (2025-07-24). "Illinois grad ex-Marine seeking Durbin's U.S. Senate seat". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  18. ↑ Koch, Jason (October 1, 2025). "Seven questions with US senate candidate Christopher Swann". Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Bishop, Greg (December 9, 2025). "Pritzker unchallenged on Democrat primary ballot after Tillman removed by board". The Center Square. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  20. ↑ Kulse, Carl (April 23, 2025). "Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, to Retire After 44 Years in Congress". New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  21. ↑ "Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs not running for US Senate". WLS-TV. May 5, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  22. ↑ Miller, Rich (30 May 2025). "Sizzling hot campaign season forecast for Chicago and Illinois". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 4 June 2025. "I'm running for reelection," Giannoulias bluntly replied.
  23. ↑ Hancock, Peter (April 1, 2025). "Raoul says 'I do not want to go to Washington,' rules out bid for U.S. Senate". Capitol News Illinois. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  24. ↑ Sfondeles, Tina (May 23, 2025). "Attorney General Kwame Raoul, with a leading role in fighting Trump, says, 'We are winning'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  25. ↑ Epstein, Reid J. (2025-05-12). "In Illinois Senate Race, Old Grudges and a Test of Pritzker's Power". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
  26. ↑ Lissau, Russell (August 13, 2025). "Ex-GOP leader Don Tracy running for Durbin's U.S. Senate seat". Daily Herald. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Capparelli to seek Republican Senate nomination". WAND-TV. April 28, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Who will fill Dick Durbin's US Senate seat in Illinois? Here are the candidates". Chicago Tribune. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025. Others who have filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission stating their interest in running for the Senate seat were Democrats Christopher Alexander Swann, Stanley Leavell and Austin James Mink; Republicans John Goodman, Casimer Chlebek and Douglas Bennett; independent Anthony Smith and Joseph David Schilling.
  29. ↑ "GOP Senate candidate focused on law and order, job creation joins race for Durbin's seat". NBC Chicago.
  30. ↑ Bricker, Logan (May 22, 2025). "Charting her course as a 'Big Tent' Republican". Illinois Times. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Republican Jimmy Lee Tillman II announces senate run to replace Durbin". abc7chicago.com. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  32. ↑ "Objection Details". www.elections.il.gov.
  33. ↑ "Candidate Detail EO". www.elections.il.gov.
  34. ↑ Huiskes, Helen (January 27, 2025). "The Race for Dick Durbin's Senate Seat Has Already Begun". NOTUS. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  35. 1 2 Kapos, Shia (February 17, 2026). "The Rev. Jesse Jackson has died". Politico. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  36. ↑ Solender, Andrew (April 23, 2025). "Inside Democrats' potentially bitter primary fight to replace Dick Durbin". Axios. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Paul Nolley looks to unseat LaHood with bid to represent Illinois' 16th District". WIFR-LD. April 29, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2025. During an interview with WIFR on Tuesday, April 29, LaHood says he "absolutely" plans to re-run for the seat.
  38. ↑ Kapos, Shia (August 4, 2025). "Texas showdown comes to Illinois". Politico. Retrieved August 4, 2025.

Other websites

Official campaign websites
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.