There are many candidates throwing their hats into the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by long time Senator Dick Durbin, who will have held the seat 30 years when his current term ends in January 2027. Ten Democrats and six Republicans will be on their respective primary ballots this year. Vote by mail ballots are due to start going out starting February 5, the same day early voting begins at the White County Clerk's office
The line up looks like this on the Democrat primary ballot:
- Raja Krishnamoorthi--Krishnamoorthi has represented the 8th Congressional District in Illinois since 2017. The district includes the Far Northwest Side of Chicago near O'Hare Airport, and several western and northwestern suburbs, including parts of Carol Stream, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Elgin, and Geneva.
Campaign website: rajaforil.com
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Robin Kelly--Kelly has represented the 2nd Congressional District in Illinois since 2013. The district includes much of Chicago's southern lakefront neighborhoods; several south suburbs, including Dolton, South Holland, Chicago Heights, and Park Forest; and parts of east central Illinois, including Kankakee, Pontiac, Rantoul, and Danville.
Campaign website: robinforsenate.com
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Juliana Stratton--Stratton has been the lieutenant governor of Illinois since 2019, following one term as a member of the Illinois House.
Campaign website: julianastratton.com
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Steve Botsford Jr.--Botsford is a former staffer for former California Congressman Tony Cardenas, who moved back to Chicago to attend business school at Northwestern University and work in the financial industry, and ran for the Chicago City Council in 2023.
Campaign website: botsfordforillinois.com
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Sean Brown--Brown is an attorney and community advocate from the South Side of Chicago.
Campaign website: seanbrownforsenate.com
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Awisi Bustos--Bustos is a former CEO of the Illinois Alliance of Boys & GIrls Clubs, and a former senior policy avisor for the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Campaign website: awisiforussenate.us
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Jonathan Dean
Dean is a solar energy entrepreneur, attorney, and advocate for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Campaign website: dean4il.com
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Bryan Maxwell--Maxwell is an agricultural engineer, writer, and musician.
Campaign website: maxwell4senate.com
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Kevin Ryan--Ryan is a Chicago Public Schools teacher and Marine Coprs veteran who served in Afghanistan.
Campaign website: runwithkev.com
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Christopher Swann--Swann is a deacon and a senior program manager at Feeding America, a nonprofit hunger relief organization.
Campaign website: swannforsenate.com
Republican candidates who have made the primary ballot are:
- R. Cary Capparelli--Capparelli is a professor and head of a global management and marketing company.
Campaign website: rcarycapparelli.net
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Casey Chlebek--Chlebek, a Polish immigrant who has lived in the U.S. since the 1960s, is a longtime IT professional.
Campaign website: caseyforsenate.com
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Jeannie Evans--Evans is an attorney who has focused on antitrust enforcement, taking on corporate monopolies.
Campaign website: jeannieevans.com
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Dr. Pamela Denise Long--Long is an occupational therapist and political commentator.
Campaign website: longforsenate2026.com
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Dr. Jimmy Lee Tillman II--Tillman is an author, historian, and founder of the Martin Luther King Republicans, a group of Black Republicans in Illinois.
Campaign website: jimmylee2dc.com
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Don Tracy--Tracy is an attorney, former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, and former chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board.
Campaign website: dontracyforil.com
