See full results for 2026 Illinois primary elections

CBS News projects Evanston mayor Daniel Biss has won the Democratic primary for Illinois' 9th Congressional District.

Close behind in the results were social media influencer and journalist Kat Abughazalehand Illinois state Sen. Laura Fine.

The 9th District was one of the closest watched Democratic primaries in Illinoisas Rep. Jack Schakowsky is retiring and vacating the seat she's held since 1999.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is projected to win the heated and crowded Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate seat that Dick Durbin has held for nearly 30 yearsaccording to CBS News analysiscoming out on top of a field of 10 candidatesincluding U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly.

With 80% of the vote inStratton is leading with 39.4% of the voteKrishnamoorthi is in second with 33.6%and Kelly is in third with 18.4%.

None of the other seven candidates are in double digits. 

Stratton will face Don Tracyan attorney and former chairman of the Illinois Republican Partywho is the expected winner of the Republican primary for the Senate seatCBS News projects.  

Melissa Bean has won the Democratic primary for the 8th Congressional Districtthe seat formerly held by and Senate candidate Raja KrishanmoorthiCBS News project.

Bean was the congresswoman in the 8th District in Illinois from 2005 to 2011after which she went on to work for JP Morgan Chase and Mesirow Wealth Advisors.

Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin has conceded the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional District to Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Fordwho declared victory shortly afterward.

With 81% of the vote inFord is leading with 23.2% of the voteConyears-Ervin is in second place with 19.8%and Anthony Driver is in third place with 11.5%but CBS News has not yet projected a winner in the race.

A rematch of the 2022 race for governor is setas CBS News projects former Illinois state lawmaker Darren Bailey as the winner of the Republican primary with 49.6% of the vote with 40% of the vote in.

Ted Dabrowskithe former president of conservative research group Wirepointsis in second place with 31.7%.  

Bailey will face off against Gov. JB Pritzker in the general electionafter Pritzker ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Pritzker easily defeated Bailey in 2022winning 54.9% of the vote to Bailey's 42.4%.

CBS News projects the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Illinois is leaning toward Lt. Gov. Juliana Strattonwho has 39.1% of the vote. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is in second place with 33.4%and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly is in third place with 19.2%with 68% of the vote in. 

None of the other seven candidates are in double digits.

CBS News is projecting that Don Tracy has won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Illinois. 

Tracy is an attorneyformer chairman of the Illinois Republican Partyand former chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board.

His priorities include affordable energy policieslowering drug and insurance pricesreducing government spendingand securing the border.

The Democratic primary is currently a toss-upaccording to CBS News. 

Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) announced he is conceding the Democratic primary for Cook County Board Commissioner to incumbent Toni Preckwinkle. 

With 79% of the votes countedPreckwinkle was holding a commanding lead with 68% of the vote.

Despite his defeatReilly said he would "continue to fight for Cook County residents in any way that I canadvocating for the pragmatic essential policies we championed throughout this race."

"My commitment to this city and this county is completely unbroken," he added.

While votes are still being countedour CBS News models indicate that the Illinois 9th District leans Daniel Bisswhile the 8th District leans Melissa Bean. 

That could change as votes continue to be counted.

Kat Abughazaleh remains in second place in the 9th District for the moment with 80% of the vote in. Bean is being trailed Junaid Ahmed in the 8th Districtwith 76% of the vote in. 

CBS News is projecting that Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller has won the Democratic primary for the 2nd Illinois Congressional District.

Many had wondered if Jesse JacksonJr.who previously held the seat and who surged back into the national spotlight in the wake of his father's recent deathwould have a late surge in name recognition that could propel him onto the ballot in Novemberbut in the end Miller took an early lead and never let it go. 

With 63% of the vote inCBS News projects U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider has won the Democratic primary in the 10th Congressional District. He will face Republican Carl Lambrechtwho ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

In the Republican primary for the 7th DistrictCBS News projects Chad Koppie is the winner over Patricia Easleywith Koppie winning 66.1% of the vote with 77% of the vote in.

CBS News projects incumbent U.S. Rep. Sean Casten has won his Democratic primary in the 6th Congressional Districtwith 73.4% of the voteover challenger Joseph Ruzevichwho has 26.6% of the votewith 39% of the vote in.

Niki Confortiwho lost to Casten in the 2024 electionis projected to win the Republican primarysetting up a rematch in the general election. Conforti has 82.2% of the vote with 75% of the vote counted.

With 71% of the vote inCBS News says the 2nd Congressional District is leaning toward Cook County Commissioner Donna Millerwho has 41% of the votewith Jesse Jackson Jr. in 2nd place with 28.9% of the vote.

The Illinois 5th District race is now set for the midterm election as CBS News projects incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley has won his Democratic primary.

He will face Republican Tommy Hanson in November. 

Quigley announced in January he intends to run to be mayor of Chicago in 2027. 

Kat Abughazaleh has moved into second place in the 9th Congressional Districtwith 24.4% of the vote. With 70% of the vote countedDaniel Biss remains in the lead with 30.3%and Laura Fine is now in third place with 20.8%. 

CBS News is projecting Tommy Hansona North Shore native a small business ownerwill win the Illinois 5th Congressional District Republican primary. 

Hanson is is expected to face incumbent Democrat Rep. Mike Quigley in Novemberthough CBS News has not yet made a projection in that primary. 

With 65% of the vote in for the Illinois 9th Congressional DistrictEvanston Mayor Daniel Biss has extended his leadwith 31.7% of the vote. Laura Fine is in second with 23.3% and Kat Abughazaleh is in third with 21.6%. 

There are 15 Democrats running to replace Jan Schakowsky after she retires. 

In the first returns in the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional DistrictIllinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford is leading the 13-candidate field with 26.8% of the vote. Ford won the endorsement of incumbent Danny Daviswho is retiring. Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is in second place with 17.1% of the vote. Kina Collinswho ran twice against Davis in past electionsis in third place with 11%. Only 12% of the vote is in.

Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller holds an early lead in the Democratic primary for the Illinois 2nd Congressional Districtwith 41.3% of the vote. Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is in second place with 33.5% of the vote. Only 10% of the vote is in.

In the first returns of the night in the Democratic race for Cook County Board Presidentfour-term incumbent Toni Preckwinkle holds a significant leadwith 63.4% of the vote. Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) has 36.6% of the vote. Only 11% of the vote is in.

The first data has started coming in from the Illinois 9th Districtand Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss is starting int he night in the lead. 

As of 7:28 p.m.Biss has 32.4% of the vote. Laura Fine is in second with 27.1% of the vote and Kat Abughazaleh is in third with 18.3% of the vote. 

There are 15 Democrats running to replace Jan Schakowsky after she retires. 

A rematch looks more likely as votes come in; 20 minutes after polls closed he's leading the field with 43.3% of the vote. Ted Dabrowskithe former president of conservative research group Wirepointsis in second place with 30.7% of the vote. Only 2% of the total vote is in. 

With polls closed for less than 10 minutes and only 1% of the vote inJuliana Stratton and Raja Krishnamoorthi already look to be running neck-and-neck in the U.S. Senate race.

As of 7:11 p.m.Stratton leads with 41.4% of the vote with Krishnamoorthi close behind at 38.9% of the vote. Robin Kelly is in third with 9.1% of the vote. 

The race for Senate is expected to be very tight and the night's leader could changeperhaps even multiple times.

Polls have officially closed for the Illinois primary electionthough anyone in line by 7 p.m. will be able to cast their ballot.

And that's a good thingbecause we saw a long line outside the voting supersite at State and Adamsstretching the full block on State Street.

Volunteers were therehanding out clipboards and information to keep things moving along as voters made their way inside. 

Some of the higher profile statewide races in today's primary feature unopposed candidates. 

Gov. JB Pritzker is unopposed on the Democratic ticket for governorwhich isn't that surprising for an incumbent governor. 

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoula Democratis also running unopposedas is his Republican challenger Bob Fioretti. 

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is unopposed on the Democratic ballot.

Robin Kelly gave up her U.S. House Seat to run for Senateopening yet another wide field of Democratic candidates.

Illinois' 2nd Congressional District encompasses part of the South Sideas well as near and far south suburbs. 

Lightfootwho has endorsed Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller in the primarysaid she believes Miller has worked hard and raised enough money to win the seat. She also noted that the footprint of the 2nd District encompasses Miller's Cook County districtmaking her a known entity with good name recognition among voters there.

But could Jesse Jackson Jr. make a comeback to take back the seat he vacated in 2012? Lightfoot noted he's gotten a bump in name recognition lately as he's been front-and-center in the media after the death of his father and namesakeRev. Jesse JacksonSr.  

Danny Davis has represented Illinois' 7th Congressional District since 1997. Now there are 13 Democrats vying to take his place. They include former Cook County Commissioner Richard BoykinChicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-ErvinIllinois state Rep. La Shawn Fordand Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins.

Davis is the senior member of Illinois' congressional delegation and sits on the powerful Ways and Means Committeewhich has jurisdiction over all tax legislation in the House. 

Colleagues said he'll be remembered for his stance on voting rightsaffordable healthcarecriminal justice reformsocial justiceand civil rights.  

Both Lightfoot and Demmer said they are closely watching the crowded race to replace Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Illinois' 9th Congressional District.

"It's hotly contestedlots of money poured inboth pro and against certain candidates," Lightfoot said. 

Demmer said he thinks it could be the night's upset racewith Kat Abughazaleh surging as primary day neared despite Daniel Biss leading in polls for most of the race.

"Candidates who can really galvanize supporters overperform," he said.

Federal campaign finance records show Abughazalehwho just moved to Illinois in 2024raised more than $3.3 million for her campaignwith most of her donations coming from people who gave $200 or lessand most of those contributions coming from outside Illinois.  

Fine raised more than $2.5 millionwith most of that money coming from outside Illinoisfrom donors who gave $1,000 or more.

Biss raised more than $2.3 millionwith nearly $2 million of that coming from Illinois donorsand most of his donations coming from people who gave $2,000 or more.

Andrew raised more than $1.3 millionAmiwala raised more than $1.1 millionand Huynh raised more than $1 million. No other candidate raised more than six figures.

More than one-fifth of the city of Chicago has cast a ballot in the Illinois primary election Tuesday.

As of 5 p.m.Chicago election officials said 339,427 ballots have been castincluding early and mail-in votingto reach 21.84% turnout citywide. Polls are open for another two hourswith anyone in line at 7 p.m. able to cast their ballots even though polls are officially closed.

This is how voting has broken down by age so far today: 

• 18 -24: 14,763 ballots cast
• 25-34: 50,915 ballots cast
• 35-44: 50,621 ballots cast
• 45-54: 44,294 ballots cast
• 55-64: 58,436 ballots cast
• 65-74: 68,018 ballots cast
• 75+: 51,343 ballots cast

Statewide turnout in the Illinois primary is expected to be highpotentially approaching numbers in line with the 2020 presidential primaryaccording to Anthony SalvantoCBS News executive director of elections and surveys.

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that higher voter turnout is "good for democracy," and said she'll be interested to see where those votes come from in the Chicago areathough that information may not be available for several days. 

"In general," she said"an uptick in voting is good for democracy."

Former Illinois GOP lawmaker Tom Demmer said he believes that highly contested races for seats in the Senate and House is driving that voter turnoutand expects to see a higher number of Democrats voting in this primary than Republicans for that reason. 

He said that could give Republicans a chance to focus on their message in Novemberand pitch to Illinois voters what they have to offer in a general election. 

One of the most closely watched congressional races in the 2026 midterms is in the 9th Congressional District in Illinoiswhere 15 Democrats jumped into the race after longterm U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky decided to retire at the end of her term.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Bisssocial media influencer and journalist Kat Abughazalehand Illinois state Sen. Laura Fine appear to be the frontrunners in the crowded race for a seat Schakowsky has held since 1999.

The crowdd field of 15 Democrats running for the seat spans three generationsfrom Gen X to Gen Zand with so many candidates on the ballotthe winner might need only a relatively small percentage to move on to the general election.  

Most of the candidates in the race have supported progressive campaign platformsincluding backing Medicare for all or some other form of universal healthcareproviding a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrantsand significantly overhauling or abolishing ICE.

Four-term incumbent Toni Preckwinkle is looking to fend off a a challenge from longtime Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly in order to make the ballot for a record-tying fifth term as Cook County Board President. 

Reilly is considered her toughest rival so far. 

It has been a hard-fought and at times bitter campaign between the more progressive Preckwinkle and the more centrist Reillywho has pitched himself a fresh and new choice for county leadership. MeanwhilePreckwinkle touts her expertise and experience at the helm.

The winner will face Libertarian candidate Michael Murphy in the general election in November. No Republicans are on the ballotalthough Eric Wallace filed as a qualified write-in candidate for the GOPso presumably will make it to the general election once ballots are formally counted and certified.

The race to replace Dick Durbin in the U.S. Senate is both heated and crowded with contenders for the seat he's held for nearly 30 years. 

The three frontrunners for the Democratic nomination are U.S. Rep. Raja KrishnamoorthiU.S. Rep. Robin Kellyand Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.  

Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be the heavy favorite in the general election in November. Illinois has elected only two Republicans to the U.S. Senate since Durbin was first elected in 1996 – Peter Fitzgerald for one term in 1998 and Mark Kirk for one term in 2010.

Ten Democrats and six Republicans are vying for the spot on the November ballot. 

According to federal campaign finance recordsKrishnamoorthi significantly outraised his opponents in the racehaving brought in more than $30 million for his campaignthe second most of any candidate for U.S. Senate. Stratton has raised more than $4 million and Kelly has raised more than $3 million. According to Capitol News IllinoisIllinois Future PAC has filled the void for Strattonspending more than $10 million to boost her bid for the Senate seat. Gov. JB Pritzker has funded the PAC to the tune of at least $5 million.

The lunch crowd at the Cicero Public Safety Office's polls was thin Tuesdaybut that's because this polling place has been popular for the last few weeks. More than 1,200 ballots were cast from there before the official primary day. 

Suburban Cook County broke its previous early voting record with more than 122,000 early voters. 

"I usually early vote because I like to research the judges and the candidates especially with the Senate race being so long. There's like eight or 10 candidates on thereI need to know how they align with my values," said voter Dora Tamez.

A new system in Cook County called Election Lens is clocking the ballots in real time as they care cast. The clerk's office said the system allows their teams to see participation by dayhour and down to individual townships and polling places. That information will help them better staff polls in the future. It can also alert Cook County officials downtown if there are any issues at polls miles and miles awaylike power or connectivity issues. 

Election Lens also lets them track mail-in ballots. Officials said if they see mail-in ballots slowing down or falling behind schedulethey can take swifter action to keep them moving. 

The Election Lens system has calculated that the suburbs with the highest turnout so far on primary day are Oak ParkRiver Forest and Evanston. That estimate does not count early voting or mail-in voting. 

Voter turnout in the city of Chicago is nearing 20% with four more hours until polls close.

The Chicago Board of Elections said as of 3 p.m. 296,884 ballots have been cast,including early voting and already-counted vote by mail ballots. That's about 19.1% voter turnout citywide so far. 

The demographics for turnout have also shifted slightly. The age group that has cast the most ballots so far is ages 65-74with 62,148 ballots castfollowed by ages 55-64 (50,720 ballots)voter over 75 (48,129 ballots)then voters 35-44 (43,198 ballots) and voters 25-24 (42,360 ballots).

So faraccording to city officialsonly 11,990 ballots have been cast by voters aged 18-24.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is unopposed in his primaryand is the first governor in Illinois to seek a third term since the 1980s.

His national profile has grown thanks to his vocal criticism of President Trumpespecially during Operation Midway Blitz last fall. 

Among the four Republicans vying to challenge him is Darren Baileya former state representative and state senator from southern Illinois who was the Republican nominee for governor in 2022. Pritzker beat Bailey in the general election by 13 points. 

If Bailey again wins the GOP primarythat would set up a rematch in the Illinois governor's race.

Illinois State Rep. LaShawn Fordwho is running in the Democratic primary for Congress in the 7th Districtsaid he was initially denied a ballot when he went to his polling place on Tuesdayafter he was mistakenly told he had already voted.

Ford's campaign said he challenged the errortelling election officials he had not yet votedand was offered a provisional ballotwhich are issued to voters when there is a question about their eligibility to votebut he declined.

"I was not going to accept a provisional ballot when I knew I was entitled to cast a regular ballot that would be counted without question," Ford said in a statement. "Every voter deserves that same certainty and respect."

After about 40 minuteselection officials resolved the issue and Ford was allowed to voteaccording to his campaign.

"This should not happen to anyone," Ford said. "If this can happen to meit can happen to any voter. We must ensure that every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot without confusiondelayor unnecessary barriers."

CBS News Chicago has reached out to the Chicago Board of Elections for more information on the issue.

Turnout for the 2026 Illinois primary could be comparable to the last competitive presidential primary in 2020a rare feat for a midterm election. Why is interest so high? 

Anthony SalvantoCBS News executive director of elections and surveyssaid one of the reasons is the high number of contested races on the ballot this year. He said he expects to see 1.5 to 1.6 million Democrats and about 1 million Republicans cast their ballots in the primaryon par with turnout in 2020.  

"For a midterm to come close to a presidentialthat is really sort of eye-opening," he said. 

Salvanto said it's not just that the races are competitive; early voting data points to a substantial number of voters who never voted in a primary before casting ballots this year. That may make the results less predictable than in previous primaries. 

Salvanto said turnout among both Democrats and Republicans in Illinois looks strong so far.

Some of Illinois' primary races are crowded with candidates; others don't even have an incumbent on the ballotguaranteeing a new face in the seat. North Central College political science professor Stephen Maynard Caliendo believes that will lead to some surprises.

"When you have this many candidatessomebody's going to win with a pretty low percentage of the overall vote. And that's problematic from a democratic standpoint," Caliendo said. "We don't in Illinois require that candidates get a majority plus oneas they do in other states. In other wordswe won't go into a runoff if nobody gets to 50%. Whoever gets the most votesthat's going to be the person who is the candidate for Novemberand so because you're talking about those percentages that are spread out over numbers of candidatessurprises can absolutely happen tonight."  

Chicago's aldermanic and mayoral elections are nonpartisan and do involve runoffs if no candidate gets 50% of the vote. There have been runoffs in the last three mayoral elections. But the state does not have the same rulesand Chicago's local elections are in 2027. 

The Chicago Board of Elections say voter turnout is over 16%including early voting and mail-in ballotsas of noon Tuesday.

Officials said as of 12 p.m.250,364 ballots have been cast in total in the Illinois primary.

There are more than 1.5 million active registered voters in Chicagoputting voter turnout at 16.11% so far.

So far the highest number of ballots have been cast by Chicagoans aged 65-74 (53,074)followed by ages 55-64 (42,982)Chicagoans over the age of 75 (41,534) and then ages 35-44 (36,710). 

The number of ballots cast has also risen steadily hour by hour since polls opened at 6 a.m.

Polls close in Illinois at 7 p.m.

The race to fill Dick Durbin's Senate seat could provide to be a tone-setter for other Democratic midterm primaries on issues like President Trump's deportation policies and outside spending on state races. It also could reveal how much sway Gov. JB Pritzker has on Illinois Democrats.

Pritzker has endorsed and donated millions to the campaign of his lieutenant governorJuliana Stratton. But all three leading Democratic candidates –- Strattonand Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi –- have pledged to fight Trump on ICE and homeland securityas well as on other Trump Administration policiesbut to differing degrees.

At the same timethe candidates have raised millions of dollars from outside groups including Super PACs and even individual out-of-state donors. Krishnamoorthi has outraised and outspent his opponentsand has outspent Stratton on advertising by more than $20 millionaccording to advertisement tracking firm AdImpact.

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There are seats on the 2026 Illinois primary ballot that haven't been open in yearseven decades. 

Gov. JB Pritzker is running for a third term with a new running matebecause Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is one of the Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate seat previously held for decades by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Other contenders for the seat include U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly.

Because Krishnamoorthi and Kelly are both running for Senatetheir U.S. House seats are now open in the 8th and 2nd districts. Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.who previously represented the 2nd Districtwhich Kelly now representsfrom 1995 until Nov. 2012when he stepped down citing health reasonsis on the ballot again and could win the Democratic nomination in a bid to reclaim the seat.

The 8th Districtrepresented by Krishnamoorthiincludes the Far Northwest Side of Chicago and several west and northwest suburbsincluding parts of Carol StreamSchaumburgHoffman EstatesGeneva and Elgin. 

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis is also retiringopening a crowded ballot in the 7th District for a seat that's been held for 30 years. 

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky's retirement after nearly 30 years in office has opened a wide race with many candidates in the 9th District of Illinois. 

Do you know where your polling place is? 

To find your specific polling placego to the Illinois Board of Elections websitewhere you need to enter your address.  You can do the same thing at the clerk's website for the county you live in. 

Some areasespecially in the city of Chicagohave multiple polling place representing the same precinct in the same neighborhoodsor polling places that serve multiple precincts that are both located in that neighborhood. It's best to check your polling place before you leave to cast your vote to make sure you're going to the right place. 

If you haven't already cast your vote in Illinois' primaryyou've still got hours left to do so. 

All polls in Illinois open at 6 a.m. on primary day and close at 7 p.m. If you're still in line to vote at 7 p.m.stay in line because anyone in line will be allowed to cast their ballot and have their vote counted.

Chicago and Cook County both posted strong early and mail-in voting numbers before primary day but plenty of people also wait until the day of to cast their votes.