Illinois Senate primary race is test of Pritzker's sway, Democrats' views of ICE

Politics Illinois Senate primary race is test of Pritzker's sway, Democrats' views of ICE, outside spending By Aaron Navarro Aaron Navarro Digital Reporter Aaron Navarro is a CBS News digital reporter. He covered the 2024 elections and was previously an associate producer for the CBS News political unit in the 2021 and 2022 election cycles. Read Full Bio Aaron Navarro Updated on: March 17, 2026 / 10:57 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Illinois Lt. Gov. Lisa Stratton has won Tuesday's Democratic primary to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, CBS News has projected, after the race heated up in recent days, potentially setting the tone for other midterm primaries on issues like President Trump's deportation policies and outside spending.Another factor in the race was Gov. JB Pritzker's attempt at powerbrokering: he gave his endorsement and millions in campaign funds to his lieutenant governor.All three leading candidates, Stratton and Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, had pledged to fight the Trump administration in the Senate — particularly on immigration enforcement — but for each, it's a matter of degree.  File: U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton participate in a Democratic primary debate at the University of Chicago on Jan. 26, 2026. Chicago Tribune ICE and homeland securityReforming Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is a high-profile issue for Illinois voters after the monthslong ICE crackdown on immigration in the Chicago area, dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz." The initiative, which was marked by controversial arrests and clashes with protesters, was decried by local leaders as heavy-handed and unjustified.All three of the candidates called for ICE to be abolished – with some semantic differences. Krishnamoorthi called for Mr. Trump's use of ICE to be abolished, while Stratton called for the agency to be shuttered and says some ICE agents should be prosecuted. Kelly wen...