Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won 44 of Chicago’s 50 wards — and was overwhelmingly supported by Black, Latino and white voters in the city.

She also performed well in suburban Cook County and downstate Illinois, two areas that helped cement her victory.

In the waning weeks of the contentious Senate campaign, three pro-Raja Krishnamoorthi super PACs tried to boost U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly in order to steer votes away from Stratton, a strategy that didn’t quite work.

In Chicago, Stratton had 50.04% of support from voters in majority-Black wards compared to Kelly’s 27.92% and Krishnamoorthi’s 15.93%. Stratton also led voters in majority-Latino wards 40.99% to Krishnamoorthi’s 23.74% and Kelly’s 24.22%. In wards with majority non-Latino white voters, Stratton led 40.74% to Kelly’s 22.05% and Krishnamoorthi’s 22.19%. In wards where no racial or ethnic group made up more than 50% of the population, Stratton led with 43.42%, according to a WBEZ analysis of election results.

Stratton had 43.94% of the vote in Chicago, followed by Kelly with 24.74%. and Krishnamoorthi with 22.88%. In suburban Cook County, Stratton had a tiny lead over Krishnamoorthi — 35.94% over 35.42%, with Kelly at 21.04%. Stratton also led with the downstate vote, 41.42% with Krishnamoorthi at 36.42% and Kelly at 10.94%.

Krishnamoorthi, a congressman from Schaumburg, led in the collar counties, 40.96% to Stratton’s 38.57%. Krishnamoorthi also won a number of downstate counties, particularly in the northwest and western parts of the state, many places where the number of Democratic voters are dwarfed by those found in Cook County. Even so, Stratton’s huge margin in Chicago and slim margin in suburban Cook went a long way to propel her to victory.

Krishnamoorthi’s performance in suburban Cook County was a surprise because there was a general understanding that he’d lose Chicago but make it up in the suburbs.

The Stratton campaign also found Krishnamoorthi’s suburban Cook County numbers surprising — especially since they thought he would carry more voters in the area. They were also closely watching returns in DuPage County, thinking that if the county came out very strongly for Krishnamoorthi, they would be in trouble. Krishnamoorthi won DuPage County 42% to Stratton’s 37%.

Stratton’s camp had frequently heard that her path to winning would require very strong numbers in Cook County, and nothing else. Instead, she saw key support in downstate counties with population centers, including Madison, St. Clair and Champaign. The results reflected a much broader coalition than people expected — and Gov. JB Pritzker’s popularity among Democrats in the state no doubt helped Stratton.

With 92% of the vote in, Stratton led Krishnamoorthi statewide 40.1% to 33.2%. Kelly came in with 18.1%.

Krishnamoorthi won just six Chicago wards, including in the 2nd Ward, which is in the 7th Congressional District but has some areas of the 2nd District; the 13th Ward, which is in the 3rd Congressional District; the 39th Ward, which is in the 5th District with some portions in the 9th District; the 40th Ward, which is in the 9th District; the 41st Ward, which is in the 9th District but has some areas in the 8th; and in the 50th Ward, which is in the 9th District.

That means Krishnamoorthi won portions of the 3rd and 9th Districts — two of four of the state’s most liberal congressional districts. The 41st Ward is no surprise, considering his current 8th Congressional District has some portions of the ward.

Downstate strength

The lieutenant governor declared victory on Tuesday night, vowing, “We are ready to take our democracy back into our own hands.” On Wednesday morning, she greeted commuters at Union Station and spoke with reporters about her decisive victory.

Stratton was asked about how well her progressive stance would play statewide, especially downstate, in the November general election.

“Well I think we did well downstate, and I think it’s an example of what this campaign was always about — making sure that the voices of the people that I represent and have represented for the last seven years is right at the center of the work I do,” Stratton said.

Stratton said voters want higher wages, to take care of their families and access to healthcare.

“They want to make sure that those who get elected to Washington, D.C. are focused on the people, and that’s what this campaign is about. It’s giving people what they want,” Stratton said. “That message resonated all across the state, I believe, in ways that many were very surprised, but it’s because that’s what people are looking for.”

Contributing: Pat Nabong