Illinois' open US Senate race tests Gov. JB Pritzker's influence ahead of possible presidential bid

CHICAGO (AP) — A rare opening for Illinois to elect a new U.S. senator has sparked a political brawl among the top three candidates in the Democratic state.

Yet the Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has also become a political test for another candidate on Tuesday’s ballot: Gov. JB Pritzker.

The billionaire is backing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton over two established U.S. House members — Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly. Pritzker has put millions into Stratton's election, campaigned alongside her at senior centers and even appeared in an expletive-filled TV ad aimed at Trump. But Pritzker’s looming presence has created new wrinkles with criticism from prominent Black Democrats, questions about the possible 2028 presidential contender’s influence and voter discomfort about how he uses his wealth.

“Money should not have to be a factor into tipping the scales in the political arena,” said Maria Pike, a Chicago anti-violence activist. Even as an ardent Pritzker supporter, she’s uneasy with the millions the governor, who's running unopposed in his own primary, has funneled into electing Stratton. She’s voting for Kelly.

Millions raised

Sixteen candidates have jumped in since Durbin, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, announced his retirement after 30 years as senator.

The winner of the 10-way Democratic primary is favored to win outright in the blue state come November. Illinois hasn’t had a Republican senator since 2016, when Mark Kirk was defeated by Democrat Tammy Duckworth.

The frontrunners include 52-year-old Krishnamoorthi, a five-term congressman who was the first with television ads in July. Krishnamoorthi is a prodigious fundraiser, generating more than $30 million from about mid-2025 until last month.

He sidestepped questions about Pritzker.

“At the end of the day, voters will make their decision. They don’t want anyone else to decide for them,” Krishnamoorthi said. “We’re on a good path. We just have to run down it as fast as we can.”

Among all 2026 Senate candidates this election cycle, Krishnamoorthi was second in fundraising only to Democrat Jon Ossoff of Georgia, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Far behind were Kelly, who raised about $3.3 million, and Stratton with about $4 million in the same time period.

But in December, Pritzker put $5 million into a super PAC largely aimed at electing Stratton.

Sharp debates

It's not unusual for governors and other prominent politicians to weigh in on elections, though doing so during a primary often creates rifts. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, is uniquely situated because of his wealth. He has been the state party's financial engine for years, and has backed numerous candidates in Illinois and nationally.

But no other endorsement has been so closely linked to his own career.

Pritzker tapped Stratton to be his running mate in 2017, months into her single term as a state legislator. When asked her biggest accomplishments, she cites supporting Pritzker’s policies, including raising Illinois' minimum wage.

Stratton came out swinging at debates, blasting Krishnamoorthi’s voting record and funding sources so harshly he joked he’d need “body armor” at a televised January forum.

In her first TV ad, voters and Sen. Duckworth hurl the f-word at Trump. While Stratton and Pritzker don’t use it, they appear together smiling.

“It captured what so many people are feeling right now. Why are we playing around that these are normal times?” Stratton said. “People are looking for fire.”

She said there’s no downside to Pritzker’s support.

Blasting Pritzker

Not everyone agrees.

Earlier this month the Congressional Black Caucus, of which Kelly is a member, knocked his support.

“Governor Pritzker’s effort to tip the scales in Illinois’ U.S. Senate race is beyond frustrating,” Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York, who leads the caucus, said in a statement. “A sitting governor shouldn’t be heavy-handing the race. Quite frankly, his behavior in this race won’t soon be forgotten by any of us.”

Kelly, 69, said she didn’t solicit the message.

“They see what’s going and they feel like, a very qualified woman that’s running, is already there,” she said. “Just because you don’t have the most money, doesn’t mean that you haven’t done the most.”

She pointed to outgoing Gov. Tim Walz, who hasn’t endorsed a candidate in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, where Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig are running for the Democratic nomination.

Kelly was first elected in 2013, campaigning on a message of gun control that resonated in the district that includes Chicago’s South Side, suburbs and farmland. With her people-over-profits message, she’s differentiated herself as a progressive, including condemning Israel’s attacks in Gaza as genocide.

Chicago voter Kiyonna Mosely, 49, said she trusts Pritzker but doesn’t have a sense of Stratton. She likes Kelly’s record on opposing gun violence and finds her relatable.

“She just kind of speaks my language when she is speaking, always straightforward,” Mosely said. “She’s experienced a lot of things I have, with being a Black woman.”

Support for Pritzker

Pritzker has defended his involvement as appropriate. He said he didn’t blame the CBC for “standing up for a friend of theirs.”

“I’m working very hard to elect someone as our U.S. senator, a Black woman, who would be a member of the Congressional Black Caucus when she wins,” he told reporters last week in Springfield. “She has the best chance of being a great U.S. senator for us among the three Democrats in the running.”

Some appreciate his input.

Pritzker is credited with bringing stability to the state, something voter Susan Stockman has liked about him. The 73-year-old retired teacher in suburban Chicago is voting for Stratton in part because of Pritzker.

“He’s done as great of a job as anybody can do,” she said. “I don’t think there’s any such thing as being too involved.”

The outcome of Tuesday's election also will be seen as a sign of Pritzker's political influence, just as he is being mentioned as a potential candidate for president in 2028. Pritzker put more than $25 million into his campaign war chest last year, fueling speculation that he was preparing a wider run, though he’s been coy about any presidential ambitions.

Reaching voters

Recently, Stratton has been more visible at Pritzker's government appearances. On Thursday, Pritzker stumped for her with a series of appearances at senior living centers on Chicago's South Side. Already one of Trump's most vocal critics, Pritzker told the residents in one largely Black neighborhood that Stratton offered a new avenue to take on the president.

“My partner in governance for seven years decided that it was time for her to go take this fight to Washington on my behalf,” he told residents.

Candidates have also put energy into reaching voters statewide. Stratton, 60, was born and raised in Chicago but says her experience on a rural communities commission has made her a known entity downstate. Kelly also touts her time in Peoria, about 150 miles southwest of Chicago, where she went to college.

Krishnamoorthi, who was born in India and raised in Peoria, said he has been building support in communities outside his suburban Chicago district for years, meeting with residents on Medicare starting in 2023 and picking up endorsements from prominent downstate Democrats.

The approach has been appealing to 63-year-old Kimberly Beal, who lives in Kelly's congressional district and attended Thursday's Stratton event. She's mulling a vote for Krishnamoorthi.

“His boots on the group approach has been one I like,” she said. “He brings a no-nonsense appeal.”