The 2026 United States Senate election in Illinois will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois. Incumbent Democratic senator Dick Durbin is eligible to run for reelection, having been re-elected in 2020 with 54.9% of the vote, but has yet to indicate whether he will do so.
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
editFormed exploratory committee
edit- Meredith Shiner, communications consultant[1]
Publicly expressed interest
edit- Dick Durbin, incumbent U.S. Senator (1997–present) (decision expected in early 2025)[2]
- Robin Kelly, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 2nd congressional district (2013–present)[3]
- Juliana Stratton, Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (2019–present) (if Durbin doesn't run)[4]
- Lauren Underwood, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 14th congressional district (2019–present)[5]
Potential
edit- Rahm Emanuel, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan (2022–2025) and former mayor of Chicago (2011–2019)[6]
- Michael Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer (2015–present)[3]
- Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois Secretary of State (2023–present), former Illinois State Treasurer (2007–2011), and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2010[3]
- Raja Krishnamoorthi, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 8th congressional district (2017–present)[7][3]
- Robert Peters, state senator from the 13th district (2019–present)[8]
- JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois (2019–present)[9][3]
Declined
edit- Nikki Budzinski, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 13th congressional district (2023–present)[3]
- Sean Casten, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 6th congressional district (2019–present)[3]
- Danny Davis, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 7th congressional district (1997–present)[3]
- Bill Foster, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 11th congressional district (2013–present)[3]
- Chuy García, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 4th congressional district (2019–present)[3]
- Jonathan Jackson, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 1st congressional district (2023–present)[3]
- Mike Quigley, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 5th congressional district (2009–present)[3]
- Delia Ramirez, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 3rd congressional district (2023–present)[8]
- Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General (2019–present)[10]
- Jan Schakowsky, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 9th congressional district (1999–present)[3]
- Brad Schneider, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 10th congressional district (2017–present)[3]
- Eric Sorensen, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 17th congressional district (2023–present)[3]
Polling
editHypothetical polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Robin Kelly |
Raja Krishnamoorthi |
Juliana Stratton |
Lauren Underwood |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 314 Action[11] | March 24–27, 2026 | 773 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 10% | 30% | 16% | 33% | 10% |
| – | 32% | 19% | 39% | 10% |
Republican primary
editCandidates
editPublicly expressed interest
edit- Darin LaHood, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 16th congressional district (2015–present)[3]
Potential
edit- Mary Miller, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 15th congressional district (2021–present)[3]
Declined
edit- Mike Bost, U.S. Representative from Illinois's 12th congressional district (2015–present)[3]
Independents
editCandidates
editFiled paperwork
edit- Austin Mink, writer[12]
General election
editPredictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Elections[13] | Solid D | Feb 20, 2025 |
| The Cook Political Report[14] | Solid D | Feb 13, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[15] | Safe D | Mar 12, 2025 |
| Race To The WH[16] | Safe D | Apr 8, 2025 |
Notes
edit- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
Partisan clients
References
edit- ^ Shiner, Meredith (February 3, 2025). "Primary Every Democrat". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
Today, it brings me no pleasure to announce that I am launching an exploratory committee for a Senate run to replace the senior senator from my home state, Dick Durbin.
- ^ Kapos, Shia (August 5, 2024). "What if Pritzker becomes VP?". Politico. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Huiskes, Helen (January 27, 2025). "The Race for Dick Durbin's Senate Seat Has Already Begun". NOTUS. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ Sweet, Lynn (January 27, 2025). "Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton launching PAC to help potential bid for Senate if Durbin does not run again". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
- ^ Sivak, David (April 8, 2025). "Underwood fundraising on poll results showing she'd lead the race for Durbin's seat". Capitol Fax. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ Sweet, Lynn (November 23, 2024). "What's next for Rahm Emanuel?". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ Solender, Andrew (November 27, 2024). "Scoop: Huge wave of House members eyes 2026 exits". Axios. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Kapos, Shia (March 24, 2025). "Dominoes if Durbin doesn't run". Politico. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Vinicky, Amanda (August 6, 2024). "Kamala Harris Did Not Pick JB Pritzker as Her Running Mate, but the Illinois Governor's National Profile Has Only Grown". WTTW. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ Hancock, Peter (April 1, 2025). "Raoul says 'I do not want to go to Washington,' rules out bid for U.S. Senate". Capitol News Illinois. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ 314 Action
- ^ "Statement Of Candidacy" (PDF). January 22, 2025.
- ^ "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Senate ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Senate Forecast". Race to the WH. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
This article needs additional or more specific categories. (January 2025) |