Former Illinois Republican Party chairman Don Tracy wins GOP primary for US Senate seat

CHICAGO (AP) — The race to replace U.S. Sen Dick Durbin is shaping up in Illinois after Don Tracy won the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary. The former chairman of the state Republican Party was among the best-known in the six-candidate race.

The retirement of the Senate’s longtime No. 2 Democrat triggered a competitive campaign on the Democratic side, drawing as candidates U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, among others.

Furious fundraising and sharp elbows marked the race, which tested the influence of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, whose name has been floated as a 2028 presidential contender. He backed Stratton.

From questions about the cryptocurrency and AI industries to immigration enforcement to fracturing U.S. support for Israel, the state’s voters confronted such issues as super PACS poured in millions of dollars into hotly contested races.

A spate of House retirements led to open seats with crowded contests across the Chicago area where the Read Entire Article