Live results: Illinois midterm primaries

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois voters are deciding Tuesday’s primaries for six open seats in the U.S. House and Senate, which will spur a new generation of leadership in the state’s heavily Democratic congressional delegation.

Read more: What to expect in the Illinois primary

The retirement of longtime Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin has sparked a competitive campaign, attracting two House candidates and a lieutenant governor, among others. The race has been marked by intense campaigning and furious fundraising, which is also a test of the influence of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, the billionaire whose name has been floated as a 2028 presidential contender.

A wave of House retirements has opened up seats with crowded contests throughout the Chicago area. The stakes are high, as most winners of the Democratic primary are expected to win in November.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee and political action committees that support the cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence industries also spent large sums on several contests.

Here’s a look at the key races.

3 top Democrats are running to replace Durbin

Ten Democrats and six Republicans are running behind Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, who announced his retirement after five terms.

Three top Democrats appeared: Chicago-area U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamurthy and Robin Kelly and Governor Juliana Stratton.

Krishnamurthy has dominated fundraising and the airwaves, and was the first to appear on television with ads in July. He started 2026 with more than $15 million on hand after spending more than $6 million and raising more than $3.5 million in the final three months of last year, according to campaign finance records.

Read more: Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, will not seek re-election, says ‘it’s time to pass the torch’

By comparison, Stratton started the year with $1 million after raising about the same amount and spending just under $1 million in the final three months of 2025. But Pritzker last month put $5 million into a superpolitical action committee aimed largely at helping get her elected.

She campaigned on Pritzker’s endorsement and attacked Krishnamurthy in debates, particularly regarding the five-term Democrat’s voting record and donations from a contractor tied to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“This is not an example of someone who is going to stand up to Donald Trump and fight for all of our communities,” Stratton said during a debate in January. “I want to cancel ICE.”

Krishnamurthy, who has called for the agency to be dismantled, said he donated money to immigrant rights groups. He said Stratton focused on him because she “didn’t have any political ideas. She had to attack.”

Meanwhile, Kelly objected to Pritzker’s involvement, arguing that the sitting governor should not get involved.

Watch live: The Senate begins consideration of the Save America Act

The candidates have touted their relationships with prominent figures in Chicago, including President Barack Obama and the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died last month. However, Stratton’s posthumous endorsement caused a snag as Jackson’s family withdrew it on Monday, saying the draft was not intended for public release.

Election officials hope to see polls crowded after turnout in the 2024 primary reached 19%, the lowest in more than five decades.

Roosevelt Jones, 67, said his Social Security and public safety were at the forefront when he cast his early vote for Stratton in Chicago recently.

“She seems to be the one taking care of things,” he said.

In the Republican primary, there are six candidates on the ballot, including Don Tracy, former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, and attorney Jenny Evans. The last time a Republican was in the Illinois Senate was a decade ago, when Mark Kirk was defeated by incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

The US House primaries are crowded

Dozens of candidates are competing for five open seats in the Chicago area, where funding from pro-Israel groups and the cryptocurrency industry has played a large role.

Ten Democrats and one Republican are running in Kelly’s 2nd District, which straddles parts of the South Side and suburbs and extends into the farmland of central Illinois. Democrats include former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., son of the late civil rights leader Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, and state Sen. Robert Peters.

The open seat in suburban Krishnamurthy’s 8th District has attracted eight Democratic candidates including former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean and Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison.

Two more House members are retiring after long careers.

Read more: Takeaways from the 2026 first midterm elections

Rep. Danny Davis’ 7th District, first elected in 1996, covers parts of downtown, the West Side and the suburbs. Early Democratic candidates to replace him include state Rep. LaShawn Ford, city treasurer Melissa Conyers-Irvin, developer Jason Friedman and Kenna Collins, a community organizer. Two Republicans are running.

Rep. Jean Schakowsky is also retiring, after 14 terms, and her primary seat in the 9th District is the most crowded. The 15 Democratic candidates include Evanston Mayor Daniel Pace, digital innovator Kat Abu-Ghazaleh, and State Senator Laura Fine. Four Republicans are running.

The other open seat is that of Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who announced he will not seek reelection for health reasons. The primary is uncontested after Garcia quietly planned to put his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, who has no relation to the congressman, on the ballot before the crucial deadline. This move ensured that no other Democrat would have enough time to distribute petitions. Then he withdrew.

Pritzker is seeking a third term as governor

Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and unopposed in the primary, is the first governor to seek a third term since the 1980s.

Pritzker, one of President Donald Trump’s harshest critics, used a campaign ad this month to highlight efforts to oppose an aggressive federal immigration crackdown in Chicago last year.

“I will always defend the law and the constitution,” he said. “Because that’s what we do in Illinois.”

He watches: “Come and get me,” Pritzker responds to Trump’s call to put Illinois governor in prison

Pritzker also criticized Republican candidate Darren Bailey, the former state senator who easily defeated him in 2022.

Bailey, who is among four Republicans vying for the nomination, says he does things differently. On the one hand, he focused more on Chicago voters by selecting as his running mate Aaron Del Mar, who leads the Cook County Republican Party.

Bailey has criticized Pritzker’s leadership, including blaming him for rising costs.

He added: “He’s just another billionaire who never felt the pain he caused.”

Also in the Republican primary are Ted Dabrowski, a real estate developer; Rick Heidner, video game mogul; and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick.

–Sofia Tarin, Associated Press