Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, who took money from pro-Israel donors, won the race to be the Democratic Senate candidate.
Published On 18 Mar 2026
Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton has won the Democratic primary for an open United States Senate seat in one of a slate of closely watched races shaped by heavy spending from special interest groups, including pro-Israel lobbying networks and the artificial intelligence industry.
Stratton’s victory on Tuesday night was the highest-profile primary result, putting the pro–working rights candidate on track to join the Senate in November.
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Bolstered by the endorsement of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Stratton defeated 10 other Democratic candidates vying for the party’s nomination, including US Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly.
She had campaigned on a platform to boost the federal minimum wage to $25 per hour and called for the abolition of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, whose mass deportation efforts in the US have sharply divided voters.
“Courage will bring this fight straight to Donald Trump’s door,” Stratton said after her win.
Dozens of groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which lobbies for pro-Israel policies and legislation, gave money to Stratton, who is supportive of Israel, despite AIPAC not publicly campaigning for her.
Mixed results for AIPAC in House races
There were also crowded Democratic races for four open Illinois seats in the US House of Representatives. The winners included Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller for the Second District, former US Representative Melissa Bean for the Eighth District, state Representative La Shawn Ford for the Seventh District and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss for the Ninth District.
Pro-Israel lobbying groups with ties to AIPAC spent millions trying to influence the races and had mixed success.
Two candidates that AIPAC-aligned groups supported won their House races – Bean and Miller – while two candidates they took stances against also prevailed – La Shawn Ford and Biss.
The most stinging defeat for pro-Israel groups was in Illinois’s Ninth District, where they spent more than $4m backing state Senator Laura Fine and about $1.4m countering Biss, who ended up winning.
“The Ninth District is not for sale,” Biss said in his victory speech.
Democrats are seeking to centre their campaigns for the midterm elections in November on the cost of living in the US, arguing that Trump has failed to ease concerns over prices for groceries, fuel, healthcare and childcare.
With Republican President Trump’s approval rating having plummeted, hovering at 39 percent according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, Democrats have turned in solid election performances over the past few months.
Analysts said Democrats have a good chance of winning control of the House, where Republicans currently have a 218-214 majority, in November. The fight for the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority, is expected to be tighter.
If the Democrats are able to flip both chambers, Trump’s domestic and foreign policy priorities would face new guardrails, largely absent so far in his second term in office, which has been marked by his war on Iran, an immigration crackdown, a belligerent approach to Latin America and a trade war.