Democratic candidates in Illinois’s 2026 Senate primary are steering clear of hard takes on Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) leadership in the upper chamber.
The candidates are looking to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), 80, who announced in April 2025 that he will not seek reelection to a sixth term, ending more than four decades representing Illinois and relinquishing his role as the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat as whip.
His retirement has left open a powerful Senate seat and a leadership question within the Democratic caucus.
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The crowded Democratic primary has converged around three front-runners: Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), each of whom faced off in a debate Monday night in Chicago.
In their debate, immigration enforcement, campaign
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