Illinois held primary elections on Tuesday that resulted in the nomination of five new Democratic candidates for Congress in competitive open-seat races. The contests drew substantial financial resources, with independent expenditures totaling around $70 million and direct campaign spending reaching $54 million across five contested elections for U.S. Senate and House positions.
The high level of spending and candidate activity reflected an unusual political environment in Illinois. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s announcement last year that he would not seek another term prompted two House members to run for his seat. Additionally, three other Chicago-area Democratic representatives announced retirements, creating circumstances where more than one-quarter of the state’s congressional seats became open for the first time in at least seven decades.
In the Senate Democratic primary, outside spending heavily favored Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, the eventual winner. Outside groups spent more than $16 million supporting her candidacy and about $11 million opposing her, while Stratton’s own campaign reported just under $2.8 million in spending. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who trailed by approximately 7 percentage points, spent nearly $24 million from his campaign while facing over $4 million in opposition spending from outside groups.
Independent expenditure groups significantly influenced House races as well. In four of the five contested House primaries, outside groups spent more money collectively than all candidates combined—a pattern OpenSecrets noted was rare, occurring in only 49 of approximately 470 federal races during 2024. Major spenders included Illinois Future PAC, which received at least $5 million from Gov. JB Pritzker, and Fairshake, backed by cryptocurrency interests, both exceeding $10 million in expenditures. Other significant spenders included crypto and AI-focused PACs and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Some funding sources remained undisclosed as of the primary. Super PACs including Elect Chicago Women, Affordable Chicago Now, and Chicago Progressive Partnership had not yet revealed their donors, with disclosure deadlines expected later in the month according to Federal Election Commission filing requirements.
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