Illinois Democrats’ Senate Primary Tightens as ICE, Ability To Confront Trump Take Center Stage

While Texas Democrats’ ugly Senate primary has captured headlines and the Senate primary in Michigan is garnering attention due to questions about campaign tactics and ideological battles, the Senate primary in Illinois is more illustrative about the party’s future in terms of how it wants to fight President Trump. In just a few weeks, voters will go to the polls to pick their candidate in a race that has focused on ICE, corporate money in politics, and Democrats’ ability to wage a Tea Party-style insurgency against the White House. After Senator Dick Durbin announced last year that he would not seek another term, three major Democratic candidates emerged — lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Congresswoman Robin Kelly. According to polling, Ms. Stratton has caught up to Mr. Krishnamoorthi to make it a dead heat, while Ms. Kelly sits in a distant third place. Mr. Krishnamoorthi started the race off as a strong favorite, leading all potential candidates in polling by double digits. It did not hurt that he also started the campaign with $19 million in the bank, giving him a significant financial advantage even before Mr. Durbin said he would retire. The more than $13 million Mr. Krishnamoorthi has spent so far, however, has not kept him far ahead of his opponents. Ms. Stratton has spent only $2 million, though new polling shows she has caught up with the congressman. A poll released Wednesday from Public Policy Polling found that Ms. Stratton is taking 27 percent of the vote in the primary, while Mr. Krishnamoorthi was leading by only two points with 29 percent of the vote. The poll was commissioned by a political action committee supporting Ms. Stratton, the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association PAC.Shortly before Mr. Durbin announced he would not run, Ms. Stratton was in a distant third in hypothetical polling. She was running behind Mr. Krishnomoorthi by double digits. The same hypothetical polling found that the favorite to win the primary would be Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, though she ultimately did not launch a campaign. Ms. Stratton’s rise can likely be attributed to her succinct attacks on both Mr. Krishnamoorthi and the broader political system itself. She has hammered Mr. Krishnamoorthi for taking a $30,000 contribution from an executive at the tech company Palantir, which was awarded a multi-million dollar contract to provide AI systems to aid with deportation operations. Mr. Krishnamoorthi, after being criticized for receiving the money, later said the contribution was donated to immigrant rights organizations. At every primary debate so far, Ms. Stratton has called out Mr. Krishnamoorthi for the donation and his votes in the House related to ICE, saying that she would be a fierce advocate for abolishing the agency altogether. “I’m making it clear I want to abolish ICE. Period,” Ms. Stratton said at a recent debate. “I would not give my vote to fund ICE. I want to see ICE and CBP out of our American cities … I don’t want them to have any immunity, and any of those federal agents should be prosecuted — investigated and prosecuted for breaking any laws.”“I do just want to say to Congressman Krishnamoorthi, you know, you talk about wanting to see ‘abolish Trump’s ICE,’ but we also know that you have voted to thank ICE, you voted to fund ICE, and you have taken money from ICE contractors,” she said. “That does not give anyone confidence that you’re gonna be someone who stands up to ICE.”After being hammered by Ms. Stratton for months on the issue, Mr. Krishnamoorthi called for abolishing “Trump’s ICE” in January. The issue of mass deportations has become a potent one in Democratic primaries, especially after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota, as well as agents’ presence in deep-blue American cities, including Chicago. Ms. Stratton has not only embraced the maximalist position on getting rid of the agency, but she has adopted a more innovative advertising strategy, including one vulgar ad that is sure to delight those Democrats looking for crass fighters at this moment. “F–k Trump. Vote Juliana,” several Illinois voters say direct-to-camera in Ms. Stratton’s recent ad. The video features two of Ms. Stratton’s top supporters — Senator Tammy Duckworth and Governor JB Pritzker. Ms. Duckworth, in this instance was the one to unequivocally say, “F–k Trump” in Ms. Stratton’s ad.

Illinois Democrats’ Senate Primary Tightens as ICE, Ability To Confront Trump Take Center Stage

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