March’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Illinois is one of the most crowded ever, and the outcome of the voting could fuel more than just the political career of a possible successor to retiring Democrat Dick Durbin.

Ten candidates are on the ballot, but the race appears to be coming down to the three best-known names: South side Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Northwest side Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. In recent appearances during candidate forums, all three have staked out positions close to one another on everything from the minimum wage to the need to serve as a check on President Trump’s attempts to expand the power of the executive branch.

Krishnamoorthi – whose “Just Call Me Raja” commercials are by now familiar to most Chicago television viewers – is in the middle of his fifth term representing the 8^th Congressional District, in a seat once held by now-Sen. Tammy Duckworth. He was a key member of the House panel that recommended impeachment of the President in 2019, and helped lead hearings into how the first Trump Administration handled the COVID-19 pandemic, but may be best known as being one of the sponsors of what became known as the “TikTok ban,” driven by security concerns over the app’s Chinese origin.

Kelly was first elected to represent the 2^nd Congressional District in a special election in 2013 following the resignation of former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in the wake of his federal tax fraud case. Kelly, who served in the state House and worked for then-state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, is best-known in her district as a fierce proponent of gun control. She also briefly served as chair of the state Democratic Party following the departure of embattled state House Speaker Michael Madigan (more on that shortly).

And after spending two terms by the side of Governor Pritzker as Illinois’ lieutenant governor, Stratton is hoping to win success on her own by being elected to the Senate. The Chicago native and former head of UIC’s Center for Public Safety and Justice unseated incumbent Democrat Ken Dunkin for a seat in the Illinois House in 2016 before joining the Governor’s ticket two years later.

Both Krishnamoorthi and Kelly have well-publicized voting records and documented positions on issues of the day, as Stratton works to find ways to establish her identity separate from the Governor’s while still aligning herself with his priorities. That’s been challenging up until now, because Stratton has not had the financial support needed to produce commercials that are critical to defining a candidate in this age. However, a political action committee aligned with Gov. Pritzker just received a $5 million donation from the governor to produce ads touting her candidacy.

The governor’s interest here is more than just support for his soon-to-be-former lieutenant, however. If Stratton wins the primary March 17 over better-resourced opponents (especially Krishnamoorthi), it could be a signal to Democratic power brokers nationally that Pritzker has the electoral influence needed to mount a successful run for President in 2028.

Should Krishnamoorthi prevail, it would be on the strength of a robust political operation supported by a “war chest” of more than $15 million, far larger than any of his opponents. It also could make history, as he would be on track to become just the second person of Indian descent ever to be elected to the U.S.
Senate. The first? Former California Senator (and Vice President) Kamala Harris.

And remember our mention a few paragraphs ago of Kelly’s brief time as chair of the state Democratic Party? She was ousted after 16 months in a move engineered by … Gov. Pritzker. A Kelly victory over the governor’s hand-picked candidate (in Stratton) would be a remarkable “turnabout” moment for a candidate who even in her campaign announcement last year made reference to being dumped as state party chair.

We’ll be watching all those story lines – and a lot more – as results come in on the night of March 17.