Illinois held a primary election that reshaped its congressional delegation with the nomination of five new Democratic candidates for open House seats, according to results from Tuesday. The primary was marked by exceptionally high spending levels, with approximately $70 million in independent expenditures and $54 million in campaign spending across five competitive races for U.S. Senate and House positions.
The high spending reflected an unusual political environment in Illinois, where retirements by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and three Chicago-area House members created numerous open seats. This marked the first time in at least seven decades that more than one-quarter of the state’s congressional delegation faced open contests, drawing numerous candidates and substantial financial investment. The Democratic-leaning state’s expensive Chicago media market facilitated rapid spending of incoming campaign funds.
The Senate Democratic primary alone generated over $34 million in independent expenditures, a level that exceeded outside spending in only nine of the 2024 Senate general election campaigns nationwide. Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won the nomination while benefiting from more than $16 million in outside support. Her main competitor, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, spent nearly $24 million from his own campaign but faced over $4 million in opposition spending.
Outside spending was particularly prominent in House races. In four of the five contested primary races for open House seats, outside groups spent more money collectively than all candidates combined—a pattern that occurred in only 49 of roughly 470 federal races during the 2024 general election cycle. Prominent outside spenders included Illinois Future PAC, backed by Governor JB Pritzker with at least $5 million, and cryptocurrency-backed Fairshake, each spending over $10 million across races. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee and various artificial intelligence-affiliated PACs also contributed substantially.
Some major outside spending groups have yet to disclose their donors, including Affordable Chicago Now, Elect Chicago Women, and Chicago Progressive Partnership, with disclosure deadlines expected later in the month.
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