US midterms: JB Pritzker-backed Juliana Stratton leads Illinois Senate race

With more than a week away, Julliaina Stratton is projected as the favourite in Illinois. Stratton won the Democratic primary, defeating two sitting US House members in a race that tested the influence of Governor JB Pritzker. The billionaire Governor JB Pritzker, with whom she was a running mate seven years ago in 2019 and is hinting towards a Presidential run, is pouring millions into her campaign. Stratton edged out Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly in a contest marked by heavy fundraising and sharp exchanges between the candidates.

Stratton will face Don Tracy, the former chair of the Illinois Republican Party, who won the GOP nomination after six Republican candidates appeared on the ballot. Tracy has said he can raise money to close a fundraising gap and appeal to moderate voters in an effort to flip the seat, which has not been open in about 30 years. Durbin is retiring after three decades in the Senate.

Stratton is pushing for Medicare for all and a $25-per-hour national minimum wage.

"We need Democrats to get in and be prepared to be a wall of resistance to stand up against what this president is trying to do," she said.

While Tracy blames Joe Biden for the high cost of living and attacked Stratton, branding her a Democratic Socialist from the camp of Bernie Sanders.

"People are hurting from the cost of living, there's no doubt about that, but keep in mind, it started under [President] Biden with the highest inflation in 47 years," said Tracey

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"She's a democrat socialist. Look, she's for ruining Medicare," he said. "She's a democrat socialist. She supports Bernie Sanders, who is an avowed, admitted democrat socialist."

If Stratton wins in November, Illinois will have its fourth Black senator, and she would be the sixth Black woman to serve in the current Senate and replace Senator Dick Durbin after three decades.

Krishnamoorthi, who has represented the 8th Congressional District since 2017, gave up the seat to run for the Senate, setting off a crowded primary across the northwest suburbs. Twelve candidates, eight Democrats and four Republicans, appeared on the ballot. Former Representative Melissa Bean, who previously represented the district for three terms, was declared the Democratic nominee. On the Republican side, Jennifer Davis held a strong lead in her primary.

The district stretches across parts of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties, including Schaumburg, Elgin and parts of the far Northwest Side of Chicago. Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the general election as Solid Democratic, and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Safe Democratic. There are 17 other House races in Illinois, and they heavily leaned Democratic.