Illinois voters will choose nominees for a full slate of offices in a state primary Tuesday. Topping the ballot is the race to succeed Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Democratic candidates include U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.
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Here's how to do itAfter an Iranian drone strike, a photographer captures this quiet human momentOffshore wind project targeted by Trump administration starts sending power to the New England gridFlu vaccines didn't work that well in the US, officials findSome people tape their mouths shut at night. Doctors wish they wouldn'tRage, suspicion, fear: Why Laurel’s residents want to stop a new state psychiatric facilityYoung people are turning to old-school hobbies to get off their phonesPope escalates call for ceasefire in Iran by addressing those responsible for the warTeherán dice que EEUU lo atacó desde los Emiratos Árabes Unidos Here's how to do itAfter an Iranian drone strike, a photographer captures this quiet human momentOffshore wind project targeted by Trump administration starts sending power to the New England gridFlu vaccines didn't work that well in the US, officials findSome people tape their mouths shut at night. Doctors wish they wouldn'tRage, suspicion, fear: Why Laurel’s residents want to stop a new state psychiatric facilityYoung people are turning to old-school hobbies to get off their phonesPope escalates call for ceasefire in Iran by addressing those responsible for the warTeherán dice que EEUU lo atacó desde los Emiratos Árabes UnidosCandidates for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., left, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., center, and Democratic Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton participate in a Democratic primary debate in Chicago, Feb. 19, 2026. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, left, and Republican gubernatorial challenger state Sen. Darren Bailey participate in the Illinois Governor’s Debate at the WGN9 studios, Oct. 18, 2022, in Chicago. Candidates for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., left, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., center, and Democratic Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton participate in a Democratic primary debate in Chicago, Feb. 19, 2026. Candidates for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., left, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., center, and Democratic Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton participate in a Democratic primary debate in Chicago, Feb. 19, 2026. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, left, and Republican gubernatorial challenger state Sen. Darren Bailey participate in the Illinois Governor’s Debate at the WGN9 studios, Oct. 18, 2022, in Chicago. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, left, and Republican gubernatorial challenger state Sen. Darren Bailey participate in the Illinois Governor’s Debate at the WGN9 studios, Oct. 18, 2022, in Chicago. WASHINGTON — Multiple political storylines will converge in Illinois on Tuesday when the state holds primaries shaped by attempted comebacks,Voters will choose nominees for a full slate of offices, including governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, the state Legislature and local offices.Krishnamoorthi dwarfed both fields in fundraising at the end of February, with about $6.6 million in the bank after transferring more than $19 million from his U.S. House campaign account. Tracy was the top fundraiser among Republicans, with about $1.8 million in the bank. Unlike the state’s other U.S. Senate seat, which recently ended a streak of five consecutive occupants who served for one term or less, Durbin’s seat has had much less turnover. Durbin took office in 1997 and is only the second person to hold the seat in more than 40 years.In the race for governor, Pritzker is unopposed in his bid for renomination. President Donald Trump’s return to office in 2025 has heightenedIn the Republican primary, four candidates look to thwart Pritzker’s reelection bid in November, including former state Sen. Darren Bailey, who lost to Pritzker in the 2022 governor’s race. The state’s largest counties tend to play a critical role in both Democratic and Republican primaries, with Chicago’s Cook County by far the largest prize. In the Senate race, eight of the 10 Democrats running are from Chicago or its nearby suburbs in Cook County, potentially diluting any hometown advantage in the region. The winners of statewide Democratic primaries typically have an advantage heading into November, considering Democrats have won recent key statewide general elections with more than 55% of the vote. In the U.S. House primaries, Kelly’s and Krishnamoorthi’s Senate bids and the retirements of longtime Democratic U.S. Reps.In the 8th Congressional District Democratic primary, former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean is running to replace Krishnamoorthi in a field that includes Neil Khot, Junaid Ahmed and Dan Tully. Durbin’s pick in the race is his former aide Yasmeen Bankole. The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why. Illinois does not have an automatic recount law. Candidates who receive at least 95% of the first-place candidate’s vote may request and pay for a limited recount, but the recount results are nonbinding and will not change the outcome of the election. A court may also order a recount as part of an election contest case. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, secretary of state, comptroller, state Senate and state House, as well as some local races in Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will counties. Some additional statewide offices, such as state attorney general and treasurer, will also be on the ballot, but the races are uncontested, aside from the write-in option.Any eligible voter may participate in any party’s primary. Illinois allows voters to register on Election Day.As of Friday, there were about 8,976,000, registered voters in Illinois. The state does not register voters by party. About 857,000 votes were cast in the 2022 Democratic U.S. Senate primary and about 715,000 in the Republican primary. Roughly 33% of the total vote was cast before primary day.In the 2024 presidential primaries, the AP first reported results in Illinois at 8:09 p.m. ET, or nine minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 2:11 a.m. ET, with about 92% of total votes counted.While a handful of Illinois counties may release early and absentee vote results at the start of the night, the bulk of counties merge them with Election Day results throughout the night or release them toward the end of the tabulation process.Yoon is an elections and democracy reporter for The Associated Press, with a focus on analyzing vote and demographic data and explaining the intricacies of the electoral process. He is now covering his seventh presidential campaign cycle.
Robin Kelly Raja Krishnamoorthi Illinois Jesse Jackson Jr. J.B. Pritzker 2026 Elections Jeannie Evans Darren Bailey Juliana Stratton Don Tracy U.S. Republican Party United States Senate Associated Press IL State Wire Decision Notes Donald Trump Danny Davis United States House Of Representatives Yasmeen Bankole Junaid Ahmed Dan Tully Willie Preston Donna Miller Janice Schakowsky U.S. Democratic Party Government And Politics Robert Peters Elections Neil Khot Melissa Bean Politics
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