Illinois 2026 primaries: Top results from the Democratic and Republican contests

Chicago, Illinois - Illinois voters hit the polls in Democratic and Republican primary races on Tuesday. Here are the top election results as the 2026 midterms heat up.

Republican nominee Darren Bailey (l.) will take on incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker for governor of Illinois in November 2026.
Republican nominee Darren Bailey (l.) will take on incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker for governor of Illinois in November 2026.  © Collage: JIM VONDRUSKA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP & SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Far-right Republican Darren Bailey is due to take on incumbent Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who ran uncontested in the Democratic primary.

Bailey – a former state legislator – got 53.3% of the vote on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. He handily won the Republican nomination over former president of the conservative policy research group Wirepoints Ted Dabrowski (28.8%), DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick (9.6%), and real estate developer and Gold Rush Gaming founder Rick Heidner (8.1%).

November's contest will be a rematch of the 2022 gubernatorial race, which Bailey lost to Pritzker by nearly 13 percentage points.

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Pritzker is considered a possible 2028 presidential contender.

Also in November, Democrat Kwame Raoul will take on Republican Robert Fioretti for state attorney general after both ran unopposed in Tuesday's primaries.

Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, who ran uncontested, will face Republican nominee Diane Harris in the general election for secretary of state.

Juliana Stratton and Don Tracy to face off for US Senate

Republican nominee Don Tracy (l.) will go head to head with Illinois' Democratic Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton for US Senate.
Republican nominee Don Tracy (l.) will go head to head with Illinois' Democratic Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton for US Senate.  © Collage: Screenshot/Facebook/Don Tracy & SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Illinois' Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton secured the Democratic nomination to represent the state in the US Senate.

Stratton was the clear frontrunner on Tuesday with 40.1% of the vote. Her next closest competitor was Raja Krishnamoorthi (33.2%), followed by Robin Kelly (18.1%), Kevin Ryan (4.9%), and Bryan Maxwell (0.8%).

"Thank you, Illinois. Tonight’s message is clear – we’re ready to take our democracy back into our own hands," Stratton posted on X.

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The former state representative will be up against Don Tracy, the previous chair of the Illinois Republican Party.

Tracy came out on top with 39.8% on Tuesday. He was followed by Jeannie Evans (22.9%), Casey Chlebek (11.2%), R. Capparelli (10.6%), and Pamela Long (10%).

"It’s an honor to be your next Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. It’s time to make Illinois a two party state again," Tracy said in a statement on Facebook.

"There are many great stories in politics about the underdog coming out on top, and this is going to be one of them," he added.

Illinois congressional primary results

Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh carries yard signs into her campaign office in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago on May 6, 2025.
Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh carries yard signs into her campaign office in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago on May 6, 2025.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

In Illinois' ninth congressional district, progressive Democratic primary candidate Kat Abughazaleh (26.1%) came in second to Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss (29.4%), who will take on Republican John Elleson (49.1%) in November.

"We didn't win, and it really f***ing sucks," Abughazaleh told supporters on primary election night. "We came really close and it sucks, but it's something that no one in power even expected would be possible at all."

"We have to send a message to this administration and anyone who enables it, and I'm talking directly to them right now: you and your jobs are not safe. This is the start and not the end," Abughazaleh said to cheers.

"F*** Trump, f*** ICE, free Palestine, and I love you all."

In the eighth congressional district, progressive candidate Junaid Ahmed (26.7%) also fell, coming in second to Melissa Bean (31.8%), who held the seat from 2005 to 2011. The Republican nominee is Jennifer Davis (51.5%).

Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller (40.4%) handily won the crowded Democratic primary to represent Illinois' second congressional district over Jesse Jackson Jr. (29%), son of the late civil rights leader. Michael Noack ran unopposed in the Republican contest.

In the seventh district, state Representative La Shawn Ford (23.9%) won the Democratic nomination for the seat long held by retiring Congressman Danny Davis. He will face Chad Koppie (65.8%) in the general election.

The Democratic and Republican winners of Tuesday's primaries will go head to head in the general election on November 3, 2026.

Cover photo: Collage: JIM VONDRUSKA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP & SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

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