After Illinois Sen. Richard J. Durbin announced his retirement plans last year, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi dug into his substantial war chest, becoming the first candidate in the race to air television ads, building an early lead for a Senate seat that hadn’t been open in nearly 30 years.
But with days until Illinois Democrats pick their nominee for Senate next Tuesday, Krishnamoorthi has faced attacks over who has donated to his campaign and his immigration policies from Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, one of his top rivals for the nomination, who has sought to build momentum in the final months of the campaign when most voters are tuning in.
Heading into the March 17 primary, Krishnamoorthi, Stratton and Rep. Robin Kelly lead a Democratic contest that is likely to decide Illinois’ next senator, given the state’s partisan tilt. In all, 10 Democrats seek their party’s nomination, while six Republicans do.
“Early spending is often frowned upon by strategists, but Krishnamoorthi leveraged his strong fundraising to jump out to an early lead and put some distance between himself and the rest of the pack. That’s forced his opponents to have to come from behind,” Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales said in an email. “It’s not immediately clear why Stratton and her allies didn’t spend earlier. But they are spending now and this looks like a real race to the finish line.”
Stratton’s campaign has touted a Public Policy Polling poll commissioned by the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, which is backing her, showing that she took the lead of the race last week.
But the group Healthcare for Action PAC released a Tulchin Research poll Monday that found Krishnamoorthi leading with 39 percent to Stratton’s 28 percent, with Kelly at 12 percent and 15 percent undecided.
Stratton, who served one term in the Illinois state House before joining Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration, has received Pritzker’s endorsement, as well as support from Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
“I don’t hear anybody … say that they’re looking for more of the same in Washington,” Stratton said in an interview. “I always say that we have a president who is not a normal president, and therefore you can’t just bring the sort of ‘go along to get along’ mentality.”
‘Breaking through’
Stratton said despite initially trailing Krishnamoorthi in the polls, her ads and several debates have helped her to break through.
“We knew that he was hitting a ceiling and wasn’t really able to break through, which meant that people were looking for an alternative,” Stratton said. “But they needed to hear my message.”
The campaign’s final stretch has played out while the Department of Homeland Security has been under a weekslong shutdown and in the aftermath of immigration officers focusing enforcement efforts on Chicago.
That’s made Immigration and Customs Enforcement — and any fundraising related to it — a focus in the race.
Since the primary’s first debate in late January, Stratton has hit Krishnamoorthi for accepting donations from an executive of Palantir, a company that has a contract with ICE.
She has also criticized Krishnamoorthi for votes to provide funding to the agency and for voting to “thank ICE,” while calling to abolish the agency.
Krishnamoorthi has pushed back on those attacks in debates, countering that the ICE provision Stratton referenced was part of a broader measure to condemn antisemitism after an attack in Boulder, Colo., last summer and noting that his campaign has since donated the equivalent of the Palantir donations.
He also has noted his own status as an immigrant in debates and campaign ads, having moved from India with his parents as a child.
First elected to the House in 2016, Krishnamoorthi built a reputation as a China hawk, serving as the top Democrat on a House select committee focused on competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party until earlier this year, while also focusing on oversight.
He has called to abolish “Trump’s ICE,” telling NBC 5 Chicago, “I don’t think there’s a big difference (between abolishing ICE or abolishing Trump’s ICE) except this, which is that I’m not gonna send a single dollar to DHS, and this is a position that I think Governor Pritzker has taken and others for good reason,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kelly, who is in her sixth full term in the House, has pitched herself as a third alternative.
In the House, she has focused on inequalities in the health care system, including for maternal health. Earlier this year, she introduced articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem, the recently fired Homeland Security secretary.
“My opponents want to attack each other while we struggle to survive,” she said in an ad released Tuesday. “Now I’m running for Senate with a plan – Medicare for All, child care under $15 a day, affordable housing.”
Spending fight
Stratton’s message has been amplified by the Illinois Future PAC, which Federal Election Commission reports show received $5 million from Pritzker and another $1 million from his cousin, Jennifer Pritzker. Filings show the group has spent $11.8 million as of March 5.
“A Senate seat shouldn’t be for sale. But MAGA donors and crypto lobbyists are trying to buy one,” a recent ad from the group says. “They’re spending millions to stop Juliana Stratton, the only candidate endorsed by Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Tammy Duckworth.”
That support, as well as support from the DLGA PAC, has sought to boost Stratton, who trails Krishnamoorthi in fundraising. FEC reports through Feb. 25 show that Krishnamoorthi raised $30.4 million for his Senate campaign since last year, including a $19 million transfer from his House campaign. He had $6.6 million available as of Feb. 25.
Stratton, meanwhile, had raised $4 million and had $1.3 million on hand for the campaign’s final stretch, while Kelly raised $3.3 million, including $2.2 million transferred from her House campaign, and had $721,000 available.
Stratton has also faced more than $5 million in spending opposing her campaign from Fairshake, a super PAC aligned with the cryptocurrency industry.
While outside groups weigh in, campaign finance has been hotly debated among the candidates.
Stratton has said her Senate campaign would not accept corporate PAC donations. But Krishnamoorthi and Kelly have criticized Stratton for accepting donations from corporate executives and for donations the DLGA has accepted.
“Let’s end the hypocrisy,” Krishnamoorthi said during a debate Monday. “We need to address the issues that the American people are most concerned about right now: holding the Trump administration accountable as well as addressing these economic challenges that bedevil them.”
