With the Illinois primary election approaching on March 17, federal, state and local positions are up for grabs to represent each party in the general midterm election in November. Notable races to watch include the battle to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., led by three Democratic front-runners as well as the challenge to incumbent Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., by progressive candidate Dylan Blaha.
Voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 17 across Champaign-Urbana. On-campus voting locations include the Illini Union and the ARC.
Early voting is also taking place from Monday through March 16. A full list of early voting locations and times is available here.
US Senate candidates
The race to fill Durbin’s seat is hotly contested, with 10 Democrats and six Republicans vying for the spot. Three Democrats lead the polls — Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. The winner of the Democratic primary is expected to win the general election.
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Read more about these three candidates’ policy standpoints, including disagreements over Immigration and Customs Enforcement and political action committee funding, here.
The seven other Democratic candidates in the race are Steve Botsford Jr., Sean Brown, Awisi Bustos, Jonathan Dean, Bryan Maxwell, Kevin Ryan and Christopher Swann.
The Republican challengers are R. Cary Capparelli, Casey Chlebek, Jeannie Evans, Pamela Denise Long, Jimmy Lee Tillman II and Don Tracy.
US House of Representatives (IL-13) candidates
There are a total of four candidates — two Democrats and two Republicans — running to be each party’s representative for the general election. For the last two terms, a Democrat has represented the district.
Budzinski, incumbent Democrat and alum of the University, is vying for her third term as representative. Budzinski’s campaign consists of 12 main issues, all of which she claims are centered around listening to and helping working families, veterans and farmers.
Earlier this year, Budzinski announced an anti-corruption agenda at the Illini Union, which claims to promote more fiscal transparency in politics.
Dylan Blaha, a progressive, grassroots Democrat, is a University alum and 13-year veteran whose campaign centers around getting big money out of politics, fighting authoritarianism and taxing billionaires and corporations. Blaha states that he refuses to accept PAC or super PAC donations.
Republican candidate and University alum, Jeff Wilson, is a U.S. Navy veteran and currently serves on the Champaign County Board. His campaign focuses on protecting the Constitution and law enforcement, lowering costs, creating jobs, supporting farmers, safeguarding parental rights and continuing to secure the border.
At the time of publication, Republican candidate Joshua Loyd’s website was down. In February, Wilson and Loyd participated in a candidate forum hosted by IPM News, where they talked in detail about their campaigns and policies.
State candidates
At the state level, eight races are on the ballot — governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, comptroller, treasurer, state representative for District 103 and a seat on the 5th District Appellate Court.
Incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker is running unopposed on the Democratic ticket as he aims for a third term. Former Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell is Pritzker’s running mate, taking the place of Stratton, Illinois’ current lieutenant governor, as she sets her sights on the Senate.
Four Republicans — former state Sen. Darren Bailey, Ted Dabrowski, Rick Heidner and James Mendrick — are facing off to oppose Pritzker in November. Their respective running mates, Aaron Del Mar, Carrie Mendoza, Christina Neitzke-Troike and Robert Renteria, join them on the ballot. In 2022, Bailey lost the gubernatorial race to Pritzker by a margin of 12%.
Current Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination in pursuit of a second term. In November, he will face either Republican Walter Adamczyk, who aims to give IDs to homeless veterans for free, or Diane Harris, who plans to increase speed and access to Department of Motor Vehicles services.
Incumbent Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is also running unopposed among Democrats as he aims for a third term in office. His opponent, Bob Fioretti, is the only Republican challenger on the ballot.
The race for comptroller, the state’s chief fiscal control officer, lacks an incumbent, with four Democrats and one Republican competing for the position.
State Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Ill., is running for the seat after five years in the General Assembly. She faces off against State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Ill., who has served in the role for 12 years; State Sen. Karina Villa, D-Ill., endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT.; and Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim, endorsed by current comptroller Susana Mendoza. One of the four Democrats will face the sole Republican challenger, attorney Bryan Drew, in November.
The races for treasurer, state representative for District 103 and a seat on the 5th District Appellate Court each contain a single candidate on the ballot. Democratic treasurer Mike Frerichs is seeking a fourth term, State Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Ill., is seeking a seventh and Republican Amy Sholar is running to remain on the 5th District Appellate Court.
Local candidates
At the county level, there are only two contested races — Champaign County Board District 6 and Champaign County Executive. The seat for Champaign County Sheriff has two candidates, but only one from each party.
Champaign County Board Districts 1-5 and 7-11, Champaign County Clerk, Champaign County Treasurer and Regional Office of Education 9 Regional Superintendent each have only one candidate running overall. The Fisher Community Library District Trustee Board At-large has four candidates with four seats available.
The seat for Champaign County Board District 6 is contested by Democrat Ryan Musgrove and Democrat Chyna Figueroa-Dixon. Earlier this month, IPM News interviewed both candidates vying for the seat.
The two candidates for Champaign County Executive are Democrats Sanford Hess and Michelle Jett. In February, IPM News interviewed Hess and Jett in an audio form candidate forum. The News-Gazette also released an eight-part series where Champaign County residents submitted questions which the candidates responded to.
The race for Champaign County sheriff has two candidates, incumbent Democrat Dustin D. Heuerman and Republican Gregory A. Worrell. Heuerman and Worrell are running uncontested in each party’s primary and will face off in the general election in November.
