- JB Pritzker and Illinois Democrats say they ve delivered for middle class residents and that s the blueprint their party should follow in 2026.
- Democratic candidates for Illinois Senate disagree whether it s right to receive contributions from corporations as they seek to set themselves apart in the primary race.
- Some Democrats say there should be a path to independently drawn congressional maps while the Illinois House speaker says he s not looking at making any changes to Illinois maps in response to Texas.
The reporters and editors who worked on this story wrote this synopsis.
The spring field Illinois Democrats claim to have already discovered a winning theme for the 2026 elections, but Democrats nationwide are still searching for one.
The 2026 campaign was formally launched by party leaders with a video montage that featured the state’s Democratic elected politicians as Star Wars heroes battling President Donald Trump, who was represented as Darth Vader. Before Governor JB Pritzker’s customary campaign speech at the Illinois State Fair, almost 2,000 people attended the annual Democratic County Chairs Association breakfast in Springfield.
Pritzker addressed the assembled group of county-level Democrats, saying, “Illinois Democrats shook off the rust of old, poll-tested ideas and you governed instead with a renewed dedication to the needs and wants of working families.”
The governor instructed the group of Illinois Democrats to stop speculating about why Republicans and Trump won the 2024 election, bringing with him the stump speech he gave during his national campaign. Pritzker contended that Democrats in Illinois have already effectively adopted a message that appeals to people.
According to Pritzker, our tale is one without a cult directing us what to think.
Despite the fact that Illinois Democrats have not lost a statewide election since Pritzker and a group of Democrats swept to power in the 2018 midterm election due to Trump’s unpopularity, the party has had difficulties nationally. Only 33% of people nationwide had a positive opinion of the Democratic Party, the lowest level in 35 years, according to a July Wall Street Journal poll.
Pritzker isn’t worried about not connecting with Illinois voters. This year, he has toured the nation and made multiple appearances on national television shows urging his party to discuss economic issues more.
People, we’re not having trouble coming up with a single message. He said to reporters that Democrats support working families.
Pritzker is considering a 2028 presidential bid and is vying for a rare third term. The governor has made the correct plan for her party in 2026, according to Lisa Hernandez, chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
Hernandez told Capitol News Illinois, “He’s definitely been a person who has moved this state in the direction where people do feel like there’s somebody speaking on their behalf.”
Senate race
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is not seeking reelection, leaving his seat vacant for the first time in thirty years as Pritzker runs for a third term. The three most prominent contenders to succeed him made an appearance at the State Fair on Wednesday to defend their candidacies for the position of second-highest ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi told reporters, “I would not even pretend that I could somehow replace him, but I aspire to build on his legacy of great progress.”
Rep. Robin Kelly, who represents a district that extends from the South Side of Chicago to rural central Illinois, stated that she is focused on being herself and hopes that people would consider her record.
Juliana Stratton, the lieutenant governor, praised her expertise as an elected leader in the state.
“People are telling me that they are ready for new voices, new blood, new energy in Washington, D.C., new ideas, and that the status quo right now just isn’t working,” Stratton told reporters as she traveled the state.
Stratton has added controversy to the contest by promising not to accept donations from corporate political action committees, despite the fact that the three candidates have a lot of common ground.
“I want to ensure that I’m giving Illinois families’ voices priority over corporate special interests,” Stratton stated.
See also: Who is funding U.S. Senate candidates from Illinois?
As of the end of June, Stratton had raised $1 million in the first quarter of her campaign; nevertheless, the $22 million in Krishnamoorthi’s and Kelly’s campaign funds dwarf the remaining sum. Corporate donations have been made to both Krishnamoorthi and Kelly.
Krishnamoorthi remarked of Stratton, “It’s very rich for her to accuse others of somehow being beholden to other interests because she’s also hoping for a super PAC to come to her rescue.”
In January, Stratton established her own federal political action committee, which, according to federal records, raised just under $400,000 in the first half of the year. Pritzker may be able to provide additional financial support for Stratton’s campaign because he has endorsed his lieutenant governor and owns a political action committee.
Kelly is likewise trying to match Krishnamoorthi’s ability to raise money.
Kelly stated, “If I didn’t believe I had the resources I needed to win, I wouldn’t have entered this race.” I’m giving up a seat that I could have occupied for a very long time.
Redistricting hopes
Pritzker has put himself in the middle of a national battle over Texas’ mid-decade redistricting and stated that Illinois has every choice available to it. However, he has recently minimized the possibility that Illinois lawmakers could further gerrymander a congressional plan that already favors Democrats in 14 out of 17 districts.
Hernandez, who oversaw the 2021 remap process for Illinois House Democrats in her role as a state senator, claimed that the procedure she used in 2021 was the proper one.
Hernandez responded, “We can continue talking about that, but for right now, I’m content how we handled things,” when asked if she would support a nationwide independent redistricting panel, as Pritzker has stated he prefers.
According to Kelly, Democrats would typically be concerned about political backlash if they attempted to oppose Texas Republicans, who want to increase the number of Republican-leaning congressional seats in their state by five.
Kelly stated that we must fight fire with fire. We must reclaim the House. There are vile things that we cannot tolerate.
According to Krishnamoorthi, he is in support of outlawing mid-decade redistricting.
“I hope that one day we will have equitable maps for all states, so that everyone is on an equal footing,” he remarked.
House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, a Democrat from Hillside, informed reporters that redrawing the borders in Illinois has not been discussed.
Hundreds of news outlets throughout the state receive coverage from the state government through Capitol News Illinois, a nonprofit, unbiased news organization. The Robert R. McCormick Foundation and the Illinois Press Foundation provide the majority of its funding.
This story is reproduced here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which was originally published on Capitol News Illinois.
