The race to fill the seat of retiring Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin has been heating up in the days leading up to Tuesday's 2026 Democratic primary and could set the tone for other midterm primaries on issues like President Trump's deportation policies and outside spending. And another factor in the race is Gov. JB Pritzker's attempt at powerbrokering: he's given his endorsement and millions in campaign funds to his lieutenant governor, Julianna Stratton.
All three leading candidates, Stratton and Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, have pledged to fight the Trump administration in the Senate — particularly on immigration and enforcement — but for each, it's a matter of degree.
File: U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton participate in a Democratic primary debate at the University of Chicago on Jan. 26, 2026.
Chicago Tribune
ICE and homeland security
Reforming Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is a high-profile issue for Illinois voters after the monthslong ICE crackdown on immigration in the Chicago area, dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz." The initiative, which was marked by controversial arrests and clashes with protesters, was decried by local leaders as heavy-handed and unjustified.
All three of the candidates have called for ICE to be abolished – with some semantic differences. Krishnamoorthi has called for President Trump's use of ICE to be abolished, Stratton has called for the agency to be shuttered and says some ICE agents should be prosecuted. Kelly has gone the farthest — she wants to see ICE and the Department of Homeland Security dismantled.
Stratton says immigration enforcement should get a "total revamp." She wants to see immigration judges and community-based social services prioritized and says federal agents who've broken the law should be "investigated and fully prosecuted."
"We shouldn't see CBP marching down Michigan Avenue in Chicago," she told CBS News. "I wanna abolish ICE because I don't believe that this agency can be reformed."
Asked if she could convince a majority of Senate Democrats to back abolishing ICE, Stratton did not directly answer. She said voters are tired of the status quo in Washington and called on Democrats to continue to "hold the line" against DHS funding. Senate Democrats and Republicans have deadlocked over funding for DHS, after Democrats demanded changes to ICE in the wake of the deadly shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota in February. DHS has been shut down since Feb. 14.
"We have a president who's not even a normal person. And so I don't think that business as usual is gonna cut it anymore," she added.
Among the top contenders, Kelly is alone in pushing for DHS to be dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up.
"We need to dismantle ICE. We need to dismantle Border Patrol like it is now, and also USCIS that takes care of citizenship and asylums. It's all broken," Kelly told CBS News Chicago.
Krishnamoorthi says he doesn't think there are any material differences between him and Stratton on ICE. He told CBS News he wouldn't vote to give ICE or CBP "another nickel," and says he supports banning agents from wearing masks and requiring identification and body cameras for officers. He also supports third-party investigations of the use of force by agents.
A majority of Democratic and independent voters believe that ICE operations need to be decreased, according to a February CBS News poll. The moderate group Third Way warns that calls to abolish ICE by Democratic candidates could be "politically lethal" in more competitive states, arguing ICE should be fixed, not abolished.
Krishnamoorthi says he's not concerned if messaging on abolishing ICE could be used as a political cudgel by Republicans in the midterms.
"I think that the Republican Party is losing the argument that somehow ICE and CBP are acting okay. I think the vast majority of Americans see that they're not, and they see that ICE and CBP are acting recklessly, outta control with impunity, illegally and unconstitutionally," he said. "That is why Democrats are on firm ground calling for numerous changes right now."
Outside crypto and Pritzker spending
Krishnamoorthi has outraised and outspent his opponents, blanketing the state with ads since last July. He's outspent Stratton on ad spending by over $20 million, according to advertisement tracking firm AdImpact.
He's also been bolstered by about $10 million in outside spending by the Fairshake super PAC, a group funded by Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz and Coinbase executives. Fairshake has amassed a large war chest to spend in 2026 races. Krishnamoorthi's primary opponents have been highlighting donations by Andreessen Horowitz's founders to a pro-Trump super PAC in 2024.
Krishnamoorthi pushed back on any insinuation that he is beholden to pro-crypto businesses, and says he supports "common sense" regulations of cryptocurrency and digital assets. He's called for "fundamental change" to the campaign finance system and advocates overturning Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that enabled unlimited campaign spending by corporations and super PACs.
While Stratton has criticized corporate PACs for backing Krishnamoorthi, she's been floated by Pritzker, who in December gave over $5 million to a super PAC supporting her. Illinois Future PAC has spent over $12 million so far. Further donations by Pritzker to the super PAC have not yet been disclosed publicly.
Krishnamoorthi portrayed Pritzker's financial boost as the sole reason Stratton may have been able to stay competitive.
"It is what it is," Krishnamoorthi said about Pritzker's donations to support Stratton. "I'm not beholden to one person, one family, one industry or anything."
Stratton argues the values of the corporate PACs backing Krishnamoorthi are out of step with voters and can't be compared to her backing from Pritzker.
"We're talking about a Democratic governor from the state of Illinois who has been working his entire life, and certainly as governor, to uplift every community across Illinois. That's not the same," Stratton said.
Pritzker's influence in the race tested ahead as he mulls 2028 presidential bid
Stratton's team and Illinois Future PAC are filled with Pritzker staffers, and several of her TV ads are centered around her endorsement from Pritzker.
"I'm proud to have Governor Pritzker's support. I believe that he's endorsed me because he knows my work ethic and he knows what we've been able to accomplish together," she said.
But his involvement has drawn the ire of the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is backing Kelly. Stratton is also Black. Kelly has had a political beef with Pritzker since he ousted her as chair of the state Democratic Party. CBC Chair Rep. Yvette Clarke has called Pritzker's involvement "beyond frustrating," and Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina traveled to Chicago to fundraise for Kelly.
"Quite frankly, [Pritzker's] behavior in this race won't soon be forgotten by any of us," Clarke told Punchbowl News.
In response to Clarke's criticism, Pritzker said earlier this month, "I would like a Black woman to represent us in the United States Senate. I just want the best person. She happens to be a Black woman."
The Illinois governor, who is also up for reelection this year, told the New York Times he's not weighing a decision on whether or not to launch a 2028 presidential campaign, that he's just focused on the governor's race.
While the millions Pritzker has spent on Stratton's campaign pales in comparison to what he has spent on his own races, Chicago-based political strategist Frank Calabrese said if she loses the primary, it could affect any 2028 ambitions: "If she loses, it will make him look ineffective in his own state."
Asked if Pritzker should run for president in 2028, Stratton said that Pritzker would be "a fantastic" presidential candidate. Krishnamoorthi declined to speculate on the governor's future plans.
"If I'm privileged to be the next senator, I need to work with anybody from any party and of course, Governor Pritzker and others, to do what's in the very best interest of Illinois," he said.
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