Illinois 2026 Primary: Krishnamoorthi, Stratton, and Kelly Vie for U.S. Senate in Competitive Race

CHICAGO — As voters head to the polls this Tuesday, one of the key decisions lies in the U.S. Senate race, a contest that has garnered significant attention and promises a nail-biting finish.

In the final hours leading up to the election, the top contenders are pulling out all the stops to secure those crucial last-minute votes. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Juliana Stratton, and Robin Kelly are each expressing a strong sense of optimism about their prospects.

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Election Day saw the candidates engaging in a flurry of campaign activities, including a cherished tradition: meeting voters at Manny’s Deli during the bustling lunch hour, where handshakes and sandwiches were exchanged in equal measure.

“It holds significant meaning, especially at this pivotal moment,” shared Stratton, reflecting the sentiment of the day.

Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton took time to connect with supporters, who gathered in good spirits on both St. Patrick’s Day and Election Day. It marks the culmination of a rigorous and demanding campaign trail, with the finish line now within sight.

Lt. Gov. Stratton chatted with supporters gathered on St. Patrick’s Day and Election Day, with the end of a long and challenging campaign now finally in-sight.

Stratton brushed off concerns that she and Kelly could split support among Black voters, helping Krishnamoorthi.

“Look, I’m working every single day. From what I’ve seen in the last three weeks are three great polls that show that we are leading and that we have the momentum,” Stratton said.

Those were polls done for Stratton’s campaign.

But a new independent poll shows Krishnamoorthi with a two-point lead over Stratton, which is within the margin of error. Kelly trails in third place.

She dismissed the notion of her potentially being a spoiler in this race.

“Well, I think it’s BS. And also, if I wasn’t in the race, it doesn’t mean people would go to Juliana, that there’s no guarantee about that. And people need to get over the fact that two Black women are running. That is going to happen more and more. It happened in this city: Lori Lightfoot, Toni Preckwinkle,” Kelly said.

Krishnamoorthi, once the clear frontrunner in this campaign, spent $18 million more this election cycle than Stratton and Kelly combined.

Now he finds himself neck-and-neck with Stratton on Election Day.

“I feel good about it. I think it was always going to be a close race. Now we just got to get everyone to vote. And so that’s what I’m doing today,” Krishnamoorthi said.

He also downplayed the notion that voter support can be easily categorized by who’s on the ballot.

“I’m seeking the vote of every single person in Illinois, regardless of who they are. And I don’t think any community should be treated monolithically for political purposes,” Krishnamoorthi said.

Kelly says regardless of the outcome she ran the best campaign she could.

“It’s no secret. You know, money has played a role in this race, and that’s how we need campaign financing reform. You’ve heard me say, good people don’t win. Good people don’t run; good people don’t stay in. I’m just hoping that voters look past who has the most money because they definitely haven’t done the most,” Kelly said.

Gov. JB Pritzker made no apologies for his unabashed support for Stratton.

“There’s nothing heavy-handed about being in support of the person that you think is the best person for the job,” Pritzker said.

But after all the endorsements, all the money and all the campaign stops, it all comes down to which candidates made the best impression with voters and did the best job of getting them to the polls.