“The family of Rev. Jesse Jackson is withdrawing an eyebrow-raising posthumous announcement of an endorsement of Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for U.S. Senate, saying on Monday that his primary choices were not finalized before his death last month,” the Chicago Sun Times reports.
Krishnamoorthi Leads Democratic Primary in Illinois
A new Emerson/WGN-TV survey of Illinois voters who plan to participate in the March 17, 2026 primary finds 31% support Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, followed by 10% for Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, and 8% for Rep. Robin Kelly. A plurality of voters (46%) are undecided ahead of the primary.
The Republican Senate contest has no clear front-runner: 6% support Don Tracy, 3% Jimmy Tillman, 3% Jeannie Evans, and a majority (84%) are undecided.
JB Pritzker’s Illinois Political Clout Faces Test
“Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to cruise to an easy victory in the March 17 Democratic primary in Illinois as he seeks a third term. The party’s U.S. Senate primary might give him heartburn,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The billionaire and potential 2028 presidential candidate is backing his lieutenant governor to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin, who is set to retire, and she is struggling to outshine two main rivals. The winner of the primary in the deeply blue state is likely to be its next senator.”
“The election is a test of Pritzker’s clout in a state where he has leveraged his wealth to dominate the Democratic Party—donating tens of millions of dollars to candidates and committees—in a way that has some similarities to the control President Trump exerts on the Republican Party nationally. A loss for Juliana Stratton would be a potential embarrassment for him as he works to raise his national profile.”
Raja Krishnamoorthi to Run for Senate
“Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) has announced his bid to run for Senate in 2026, confirming speculations that he would join the quickly expanding field of primary competitors looking to win the safe Democratic seat left open by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is retiring at the end of his term,” ABC News reports.
Juliana Stratton Already Gunning for Durbin’s Seat
“Ambitious Illinois Democrats are dreaming about Sen. Dick Durbin’s exit in 2026. The latest contender: the state’s lieutenant governor,” Politico reports.
“Juliana Stratton, who first took office in 2019, is quietly positioning herself for a Senate bid if Durbin bows out, calling key Democratic figures to ask for support.”
“And she and her staff have said that she’s already secured the support of Gov. JB Pritzker… She and her team have made clear she expects Pritzker to be heavily involved financially.”
Kinzinger Has a Plan If He’s Gerrymandered
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), the most prominent Republican in Illinois, told the Chicago Sun Times that if Democrats carve up his congressional district in the pending remap, he would consider a statewide run for senator or governor in 2022.
Said Kinzinger: “My intention is to run again for the House. But you know, look, we’re coming up on redistricting, so if I end up without a district, of course that comes into play.”
Duckworth Will Run for Re-Election
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced she would run for reelection in 2022.
Duckworth Gives Birth to a Girl
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) “on Monday gave birth to a daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, becoming the first sitting senator to have a baby while in office,” the Chicago Sun Times reports.
“Duckworth, who turned 50 on March 12, is one of only 10 women in the history of the nation to give birth while in Congress, with the other babies born to members serving in the House.”
Duckworth Calls Kirk ‘Unhinged’
Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) “unhinged” after the senator referred to President Obama as the “drug dealer in chief,” Politico reports.
Said Duckworth: “If you look at all of the things that he said, I think that he lacks the ability to control what he’s saying. If you look at the numerous gaffes he’s had over the years,” Duckworth said Tuesday after she addressed the City Club of Chicago. “I do think he is unhinged.”
Kirk Distances Himself from His Own Party
Sen. Mark Kirk’s (R-IL) new ad could easily be mistaken for one run by a Democrat.
GOP Groups Not Spending on Kirk
RealClearPolitics: “Republican outside groups have spent tens of millions of dollars in competitive Senate races this year, eager to protect GOP incumbents in a difficult cycle with the chamber’s majority up for grabs. But as that spending has ramped up in recent weeks, next to none has gone to bolster Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, widely viewed as the most vulnerable of them all.”
Tweet of the Day
The National Republican Senatorial Committee quickly deleted a tweet posted from its official Twitter account that criticized disabled veteran Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a double amputee.
Kirk Put Caregiver on Campaign Payroll
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), “who has needed help with some everyday tasks such as preparing meals and physically getting around since suffering a debilitating stroke in 2012, put his live-in caregiver onto his campaign payroll,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“Kirk’s placement of his caregiver — who had no prior campaign experience — onto his campaign staff raises questions about whether Kirk used political donations to pay for personal expenses. Campaign finance records show that Kirk for Senate had paid his caregiver a salary totaling more than $43,000 from August 2013 through the end of 2014.”
“Federal law says campaign funds cannot be used for expenses that would occur regardless of whether the person were running for or holding office.”
Top GOP Fundraiser Urges Kirk to Abandon Race
“One of the Illinois GOP’s premiere fundraisers has called on U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., to abandon his re-election race, saying it likely is unwinnable. The statement is spurring a flurry of phone calls and activity among worried Republicans,” according to Crain’s Chicago Business.
Said Ron Gidwidz: “His misstatements put him and the Illinois Republican Party in too much of a defensive position. I do not believe he will be a U.S. senator in 2017 and, as top of the ticket, he could cause collateral damage (to other Republican candidates). I call on him to step aside and allow other Republicans to seek his seat.”
Duckworth Holds Early Lead for Illinois Senate
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Illinois finds Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) leading Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) in the U.S. Senate race, 42% to 36%.
“There’s more bad news for Kirk: His approval rating has dropped to 25%.”
Editorial Calls Mark Kirk Unhinged
The Southern Illinoisan eviscerates Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) in an editorial:
“Mark Kirk suddenly has more in common with your unhinged uncle than a deliberative member of the U.S. Senate… Illinoisans thought they elected a center-right fiscal conservative. They instead got the love child of Michele Bachmann and Ted Cruz, a man more concerned with making a name within his party’s fringe than representing his constituents.”
Kirk Finally Apologizes for Comment
Four days after touching off a firestorm of criticism by describing a fellow senator as a “bro with no ho,” Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) apologized in a brief statement issued by his office, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Said Kirk: “I apologize to the people of Illinois for my inappropriate remarks last week.”
Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who is challenging Kirk for Senate, told the Chicago Sun Times: “I think every woman in Illinois needs to hear an apology from Senator Kirk personally.”
Durbin Insists Fundraising Email Isn’t an Endorsement
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) “says a fundraising e-mail isn’t the same as him making an official endorsement in next year’s Senate race,” according to River Bender.
“Durbin sent out a fundraising request on behalf of the Senate bid of Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), calling her ‘a friend’ and ‘a champion,’ but he says that’s not a formal endorsement. He says he’s helping with fundraising since the campaign is heating up earlier than he’d hoped.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
More about Taegan Goddard →