Illinois’ primary elections are less than two weeks away, and from U.S. Senate to Illinois Governor to dozens of people vying to replace iconic names in the U.S. House, it’s a stacked ballot.
The state’s political deck is getting shuffled in ways never seen before, with the U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin stepping down after five terms in office, and five House Democrats from Illinois giving up their seats.
Political observers said Illinois might lose a little pull in Washington with so many leaders with sway and savvy saying so long.
"This is pretty unprecedented," said former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Among veteran Illinois Democrats stepping down from Congress are Durbin, who has been in office for 29 years, and Reps. Danny Davis and Jan Schakowsky, who have nearly 60 years of experience in the House between them.
"As you know, in Congress, it’s all about tenure, meaning the committee assignments you get and the good ones. So, it’s a loss for Illinois," former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady said.
Brady and Lightfoot said they believe the days of such 30-year runs in Congress are over.
"I mean, I think who gets elected this next time around, these people will be in office for a while. It’s very difficult to beat an incumbent, but not impossible," she said. "But I think seeing people who have literally grown up as adults going to Washington, I think that’s probably over."
"I don’t think you’ll see characters or legacy individuals like Jan Schakowsky and David Davis anymore," Brady said.
The retiring Congress members are characters.
"Totally, but that sort of makes … that’s probably why they were so appealing. That’s why they got elected so many times," Brady said.
Brady and Lightfoot said certain character types in the Illinois Republican Party are harder to find these days.
"I think if you go all over the state, there’s a lane for a more moderate Republican, a Jim Edgar, Jim Thompson, fiscal conservative. If you look at the accomplishments of those two combined, it’s amazing what they got done," Brady said. "Unfortunately, this is going to be an extremely difficult cycle for Illinois Republicans, given the Trump Effect. Whether you like or dislike Trump, he’s extremely unpopular in this state, and these candidates, Republicans have to run against that headwind."
Lightfoot said political extremism has created a major shift for Republicans in Illinois.
"The Democrats are not immune from it, but I think it’s really taken hold in the Republican Party in ways that aren’t acceptable to voters," she said. "We’re not seeing people being rewarded for being a centrist Republican."
A sea of dozens of candidates are trying to firm up name recognition as the new generation of Congress washes in.
"In each of these races, we’re seeing, you know, 10, 15 different candidates. Some, obviously, have really no shot," Lightfoot said.
"All these different personalities, these people and the number of people, the amount of money, the endorsements where they’re falling, who’s supporting Mayor [Brandon] Johnson, who’s not. It’s a fascinating campaign season on the Democratic side," Brady said.
A brief word on campaign money.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthy has raised more than $28 million in his race to succeed Durbin in the Senate, the third most of any candidate in the country. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who also is running for Senate, has the backing of billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker, who has donated millions of dollars to a super PAC supporting her in the race.
Lightfoot said, with such significant changes coming for the Illinois congressional delegation, campaign donations have been coming in from all across the country.
"But with that money coming in, particularly outside of the state, outside of the district, there’s strings attach. If their candidate wins, they’re going to come knocking the day after the election, and say, ‘Let’s talk. Here’s my agenda,’" she said.
Brady said the amount of money coming in for the congressional races is concerning.
"It’s substantially more than I’ve ever seen in the years I’ve been doing this. It’s really, really gotten out of control," he said. "I think anybody, if they’re being honest with you about it, that’s involved in politics, agrees there’s just too much money washing around."
News,Region: Chicago,City: Chicago
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March 5, 2026 at 05:00PM
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