Illinois Races To Watch: 2026 Primary Election

Early voting has been underway for weeks, and it all comes down to Tuesday as Illinois voters determine who will make the midterm ballots.

Several high-profile Democrats announced last year that they would not be seeking reelection, leaving the door open for newcomers to vie for long-held seats.

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Here's a look at what's on the ballot Tuesday.

U.S. Senate

Nearly a year after U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, 81, announced he is not seeking a sixth term, ending his more than 40 years in Washington, voters will decide from a field of 10 Democrats who will replace him on the ballot.

On the Republican ballot, six candidates are vying for the chance to flip the longtime Democratic seat come November.

U.S. Senate Race: Wide Field Of Democrats, Republicans Eye Durbin's Current Seat In 2026 Primary

The Democratic primary ballot includes Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who is backed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, as well as U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly of Lynwood and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg.

Other candidates are Awisi Bustos, daughter-in-law of former U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, as well as Steve Botsford Jr., Sean Brown, Jonathan Dean, Bryan Maxwell, Kevin Ryan and Christopher Swann.

On the Republican ballot are former Illinois Republican Party chairman Don Tracy, attorney Jeannie Evans and Polish-born entrepreneur Casey Chlebek, as well as R. Cary Capparelli, Pamela Denise Long and Jimmy Lee Tillman II.

Governor

Incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker is seeking a third term and is unopposed in the Democratic primary. With Stratton vying for the U.S. Senate seat, this time Pritzker's ticket includes former deputy governor and state Rep. Christian Mitchell as his running mate.

READ MORE: Race To Face Pritzker: IL Gubernatorial Republican Primary Election 2026

Four candidates are vying for the Republican nomination, including former state Sen. Darren Bailey, who ran unsuccessfully against Pritzker in 2022.

Bailey, with running mate Aaron B. Del Mar, remained in the race after tragedy struck when his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were killed in a Montana helicopter crash in October.

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Bailey's Republican primary opponents include Wirepoints president Ted Dabrowski, as well as DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick and Gold Rush Gaming owner Rick Heidner.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Democrat Alexi Giannoulias is unopposed in his primary.

Read: Illinois Secretary Of State Race: Primary Election 2026

Two candidates are facing off in the Republican primary: Republican committeeman Walter Adamczyk and Diane Harris, a Joliet small business owner and former teacher.

8th Congressional District

In Illinois' 8th Congressional District, with incumbent Krishnamoorthi running for U.S. Senate, eight Democrats are vying to take his place.

Junaid Ahmed, Yasmeen Bankole, Melissa Bean, Sanjyot Dunung, Neil Khot, Kevin Morrison, Dan Tully and Ryan Vetticad are seeking the Democratic nomination.

Republican candidates are Kevin Ake, Jennifer Davis, Herbert Hebein and Mark Rice.

9th Congressional District

In the 9th Congressional District, which includes parts of the north side of Chicago as well as the suburbs of Evanston, Skokie, Glenview and Buffalo Grove, longtime Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky is also not seeking reelection.

Fifteen Democrats are hoping to take her place, including Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, former journalist and political content creator Katherine “Kat” Abughazaleh and state Sen. Laura Fine.

READ: Illinois' 9th Congressional District: Primary Election 2026

Also on the ballot are Bushara Amiwala, Phil Andrew, Patricia Brown, Jeff Cohen, Justin Ford, Mark Fredrickson, Illinois state Rep. Hoan Huynh, Bethany Johnson, Sam Polan, Nick Pyati, Howard Rosenblum and state Sen. Mike Simmons.

On the Republican primary ballot are Rocio Cleveland, John Elleson, Paul Friedman and Mark Su.

More races to watch

• Illinois' 2nd Congressional District Race: Primary Election 2026
• Illinois' 5th Congressional District Race: Primary Election 2026
• Illinois's 6th Congressional District Race: Primary Election 2026
• 13 Democrats Vie To Succeed 7th District's Davis: Illinois 2026 Primary Election
• 4 Candidates Vying For Republican Nomination In 11th District Race: Illinois Election 2026
• Marter, Vician To Vie For Republican Nomination In 14th Congressional District Of IL: Election 2026

Unopposed races

Some primary races are downright lackluster — because they're unopposed.

In the Illinois Attorney General's race, Democratic incumbent Kwame Raoul and Republican Robert W. Fioretti are unopposed in their primaries. In the treasurer's race, Democrat Michael Frerichs is unopposed in his primary, and there are no Republican primary candidates on the ballot.

What to know before you go to the polls

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

If you're not sure if you're registered to vote, you can check online. If you're not registered, even though online voter registration has closed, you can still register in person before you vote, through Election Day.

If you don't know your polling place, you can find it here.

To register in person, you'll need to bring two forms of ID or proof of residency, including a passport, driver's license, lease or mortgage. At least one form of ID must list your current address.

The deadline to apply to vote by mail is past, but if you applied and received your mail-in ballot, it must be postmarked or placed in an election drop box by Election Day.