Illinois voted Tuesday to choose a successor to retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. Democrat Juliana Stratton, Republican Don Tracy and American Center candidate Whitfield Harrington Jr. were on the ballot.
Illinois voted Tuesday to select a new U.S. senator to replace longtime Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat who served five terms. The state will have a new senator after the election because Durbin is retiring. Durbin has held a Senate seat since 1997, and the winner will replace him after 30 years in the Senate.
The candidates
Democrat Juliana Stratton, Republican Don Tracy and third-party candidate Whitfield Harrington were on the November 3 ballot. Stratton, currently the state's lieutenant governor, is the Democratic candidate and will succeed Durbin. Harrington, Jr., is the American Center candidate, and the American Center Party is a new party. Harrington is a pastor who has worked in the financial industry.
Primary winners and backgrounds
Stratton won the Democratic primary on March 17, defeating Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, among other candidates. She had the strong backing of outgoing Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat. Stratton supports a federal $25 minimum wage.
Tracy won the Republican primary on March 17, defeating a group of largely unknown candidates. He is an attorney who led the Illinois Republican Party from 2021 to 2024. He also chaired the state's gaming board under the last Republican governor in the state.
