Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the state’s open Senate seat, defeating Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly in a hard-fought contest that centered more on style than substance.
Stratton had 40 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the Democratic race to succeed retiring Sen. Richard J. Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, at 10:39 p.m. Eastern. Krishnamoorthi trailed with 33 percent, and Kelly had 18.5 percent. Seven other candidates split the remaining share of the vote.
Stratton, who served one term in the Illinois House before joining now-Gov. JB Pritzker on the gubernatorial ticket in 2018, starts off as the heavy favorite in the general election, given the state’s Democratic tilt. She will face former Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy, who won a three-way GOP primary Tuesday.
