Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won Tuesday's Democratic primary for US Senate.
Stratton edged out two sitting members of the US House to advance to a November general election against Republican nominee Don Tracy, the former state party chair.
The retirement of US Sen Dick Durbin, the Senate’s longtime No. 2 Democrat, triggered a competitive campaign on the Democratic side, drawing as candidates Stratton and US Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, among others.
Furious fundraising and sharp elbows marked the race, which tested the influence of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. The governor, whose name has been floated as a 2028 presidential contender, backed Stratton.
The races were testing grounds for some of the biggest issues facing the Democratic Party, from support for Israel to immigration enforcement and the cryptocurrency and AI industries, as super PACs poured millions of dollars into the hotly contested primaries.
