The Democratic primary to replace Sen. Richard Durbin was always going to be competitive. No one expected it to get this messy.
A once-in-a-generation opportunity to fill Durbin’s seat has reignited old feuds, pitted the Congressional Black Caucus against a 2028 hopeful, drawn millions in crypto-backed attack ads and led to scrutiny of campaign finances so detailed that many political observers have effectively become accountants.
The increasingly caustic three-way fight between Illinois Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton underscores the stakes of the party contest — the victor on Tuesday will almost certainly become the state’s next senator. A Republican has not won a statewide contest in Illinois since 2014.
But it also highlights ongoing debates within the Democratic Party over who should represent the party, the role the establishment should play in identifying that candidate and how comfortable that candidate should be accepting money from crypto super PACs or tech executives with immigration enforcement contracts.
The bulk of attacks have come from Krishnamoorthi and Stratton, both of whom have sponsored polls showing them as the top contenders. Krishnamoorthi has amassed a $30 million war chest — second only to Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff in fundraising this cycle for a Democrat seeking federal office. He was first on TV with ads, built a cross-state ground game with multiple statewide tours and now leads most public polls.
Stratton, meanwhile, has benefited immensely from the support of her governing partner, Gov. JB Pritzker, who endorsed her one day after she announced her bid to replace Durbin, poured at least $5 million into a PAC supporting her candidacy, per Federal Election Commission filings, and campaigned with her several times in the final week of voting. The show of support came as polls commissioned recently by the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association suggested Stratton is within striking distance of winning the race.
Pritzker’s involvement has frustrated allies of Kelly, a longtime state Democratic stalwart who was previously spurned by the governor after he led a push to oust her as chair of the Illinois Democratic Party for his preferred candidate.
Some of those frustrations emerged publicly this month when Rep. Yvette Clarke, a New York Democrat and the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, of which Kelly is both a member and the body’s endorsed candidate, issued a stinging statement condemning Pritzker.
“Governor Pritzker’s effort to tip the scales in Illinois’ U.S. Senate race is beyond frustrating for the Congressional Black Caucus. A sitting governor shouldn’t be heavy-handing the race,” Clarke wrote. “We stand firmly with Congresswoman Robin Kelly because she’s a proven, effective leader and we believe voters will see that.”
Clarke’s message also included a subtle warning shot to Pritzker, widely considered a 2028 presidential contender.
“Quite frankly, his behavior in this race won’t soon be forgotten by any of us,” Clarke said.
Stratton, the first Black lieutenant governor of Illinois, said in subsequent interviews that she was “disappointed” by Clarke’s statement, but “strongly believes in the CBC’s mission to grow the Black caucus,” which she hopes to join in January. Stratton argues that the CBC is ignoring the data.
“I’m the only Black candidate that has a path to beating Congressman Krishnamoorthi and the only opportunity in the nation to elect a Black woman senator in the 2026 election,” Stratton told the Wall Street Journal.
Despite lagging in most polls, Kelly — who appeared at a fundraiser last week with congressional heavyweight Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. — has shown no interest in leaving the race before primary day.
“I feel great on the ground,” Kelly told MS NOW on Sunday. “They have a lot of the money, and to me, are trying to buy the race. But I know I’m the most qualified candidate running.”
Some political observers have attributed Kelly’s decision to remain in the race to lingering resentment over Pritzker’s role in ousting her as state party chair four years earlier. She has publicly rebuffed that sentiment.
“I know people say that mess, but he’s not that big in my life, quite frankly,” Kelly told the New York Times. “This is the rubber match, you know — I’ve won one, he won one. It should be about her, not about JB, but he’s definitely, with all of his money, gotten into the race. I don’t even think about it, to be honest with you. I could say the same thing, that she’s taking votes away from me.”
Kelly’s camp has privately expressed frustration at that narrative, insulted at the idea that Kelly, a six-term congresswoman, would give up her seat, invest millions in the race and perform the taxing job of campaigning solely to further a political vendetta.
“Robin Kelly would never get into a race for some feud that she’s not involved in,” a campaign spokesperson told MS NOW. “It’s so ludicrous. I guess it fits a narrative that people like or find juicy, but it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Kelly argues that she has more experience than Stratton, who served one term in the Illinois state legislature before Pritzker elevated her to lieutenant governor. But with days left before the primary, Kelly’s presence on the ballot has fueled concerns from supporters of both campaigns that she and Stratton may split the Black vote and clear an easy path to victory for Krishnamoorthi. Supporters of Krishnamoorthi are aware of that dynamic. The Indian American Impact Fund, a super PAC primarily benefiting Krishnamoorthi’s campaign, has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into advertisements supporting Kelly and opposing Stratton, including a $50,000 buy last Thursday that amplified an ad touting former President Barack Obama’s past praise of Kelly. In a sign of Obama’s sustained influence in Illinois politics, groups supporting Stratton responded with ads of their own touting Pritzker’s current endorsement and Obama’s past endorsement of the lieutenant governor during a state House race. Obama has not endorsed in the Senate race. Stratton this weekend also circulated a posthumous endorsement from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, telling MS NOW on Saturday that Jackson had made his final endorsements and shared those preferences with his family before his death in February. Some members of Jackson’s family, including his son, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., have disputed that characterization. On Monday, the Jackson family withdrew that endorsement. In a statement to MS NOW, Stratton’s campaign said that “Juliana spoke on Saturday at Rainbow PUSH for a Women’s History Month event and officials told her she received the endorsements. … Juliana is spending the final hours of this campaign talking to voters and making sure every Illinoisan hears how she plans to take on Donald Trump and bring their voices to Washington.” The final weeks of the Senate race have seen intense scrutiny of campaign donor lists. Stratton has attacked Krishnamoorthi over donations from Shyam Sankar, chief technology officer at Palantir, which has a $30 million contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sankar has donated roughly $30,000 to Krishnamoorthi since 2015. Amid the backlash, Krishnamoorthi in December announced that he would donate roughly $30,000 to “immigrant rights groups.” Meanwhile, Fairshake, a crypto-backed Super PAC, poured almost $10 million into this race with ads attacking Stratton, who has been endorsed by longtime crypto critic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Stratton also served alongside Pritzker as he signed legislation amounting to state-level regulation of the industry, and strengthened consumer protections. “I’m the No. 1 target, apparently, in the entire country, for these MAGA-aligned crypto industry PACs that are now targeting me with $10 million of attack ads,” Stratton told MS NOW on Saturday. “They’re doing so because they know that I’m going to be someone who is going to stand up to Donald Trump and fight for the people, and that’s always what’s going to be in the at the forefront of my work.” Early data suggests the immense resources poured into the Senate Democratic primary, as well as millions spent on competitive House races in the state, have galvanized the state’s Democratic base. The Chicago Board of Elections reported that early voting figures are tracking higher than midterm cycles in 2022 and 2018. As of Sunday evening, more than 160,000 ballots have been received in Chicago for the primary election, compared with roughly 99,000 at that point in 2022 and 106,000 in 2018.
Nnamdi Egwuonwu is a reporter for MS NOW. Recommended
