Midterm primary elections this week: What’s up for grabs in Illinois
Next up in this year’s election cycle: Illinois.
Voters head to the polls on Tuesday, March 17, to cast ballots in primary elections for a variety of state and national seats. The results will determine which candidates face off in the November midterm elections, which promise to deliver strong signals about the country’s political climate in the midst of President Donald Trump‘s second term.
Polls open in Illinois at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. If you’re a registered Illinois voter, you can find your sample ballot on the State Board of Elections.
Here’s what to know about the primary elections in Illinois.
Illinois district primaries
Voters in each of Illinois’ 17 congressional districts will select one Republican and one Democrat to be on the November 2026 ballot, which determines who gets elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Currently, Illinois has 14 Democratic and three Republican representatives in the U.S. House.
There’s lots of room for new faces in the House come January 2027. Two Illinois House members, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly are currently running for Senate, while Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 81, and Rep. Danny Davis, 84, are retiring. A number of candidates have entered the race to fill their seats, according to Ballotpedia:
- 2nd District (Kelly): 10 Democrats, 2 Republicans
- 7th District (Davis): 13 Democrats, 2 Republicans
- 8th District (Krishnamoorthi): 8 Democrats, 4 Republicans
- 9th District (Schakowsky): 15 Democrats, 4 Republicans
Given the GOP’s narrow House majority, Republicans will be looking to maintain control while Democrats may spearhead an opportunity to gain influence and curb Trump’s second-term agenda.
Illinois US Senate primary
A U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs in Illinois after Sen. Dick Durbin, 81, announced his retirement in April 2025. Durbin serves alongside Democratic counterpart Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who assumed the role in 2017.
Democratic candidates have vied for public blessing from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who endorsed state Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in April 2025. Stratton is also endorsed by Duckworth and Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch.
Krishnamoorthi leads the race in fundraising at over $30 million, according to the Federal Election Commission. Stratton has raised about $4 million. Other Democrats in the race include Kelly, Steve Botsford Jr., Sean Brown, Awisi Bustos, Jonathan Dean, Bryan Maxwell, Kevin Ryan, Christopher Swann.
Among GOP contenders, Don Tracy, former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, and former chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board, has raised the most funds at $2.2 million, according to the FEC. He faces R. Cary Capparelli, Casey Chlebek, Jeannie Evans, Dr. Pamela Denise Long and Dr. Jimmy Lee Tillman II for the Republican candidacy.
Illinois gubernatorial primary
Pritzker is staring down his own campaign to become the state’s first-ever third-term Democratic governor. Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run on the same ticket. Pritzker and Christian Mitchell are running unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, but will face the Republican winner come November.
The GOP race includes Darren Bailey and Aaron Del Mar; Ted Dabrowski and Dr. Carrie Mendoza; Rick Heidner and Christina Neitzke-Troike and James Mendrick and Dr. Robert Renteria.
Immigration at the forefront
A key issue at the center of the Illinois primary is immigration: Illinois is a “sanctuary state” − refusing to cooperate with Trump’s federal immigration enforcement. The president has traded barbs with Pritzker over his “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago, even threatening federal funds for the state. And Chicago has been the site of anti-ICE protests amid Trump’s immigration crackdown. Durbin, a long supporter of liberal policies, has matched that messaging in the Senate as a staunch supporter of immigration rights.
