On March 17, all eyes in Illinois were on the Democratic congressional primaries. In this staunchly blue state, most Democratic congressional nominees win their elections, so primaries are closely watched. Primaries for five House seats and one Senate seat, all leaning strongly Democratic, offered a glimpse into the party’s future. However, funding of candidates by outside groups, primarily the pro-Israel lobby (AIPAC) and the cryptocurrency and AI industries, was a problem for the primaries. These three special interest lobbies had spent tens of millions of dollars trying to buy influence. Large donations were also made by ICE contractors like Palantir. Yet in the end, their massive funding efforts only got them so far, winning only two of the six possible seats.
The Democratic Senate primary proved a clear victory for Lt. Governor Julianna Stratton, who aimed to succeed retiring longtime Dem. Sen. Dick Durbin. Her Senatorial campaign initially was financially strapped, receiving no funding from any of the three lobbies. However, she received campaign funding provided by Governor JB Pritzker to even the odds. Stratton’s local connections to Illinois voters, combined with her aggressive anti-Trump messaging and promise to abolish ICE, readily pushed her ahead of her lobby-backed competitors. If elected this November, Stratton will be the Senate’s third Black woman.
House races are arguably easier for outside interests to “buy” because their spending can overcome the small margins needed for victory in these low-population elections. But in Illinois’ Democratic House primary, candidates backed by the three big lobbies did not win big. Only two of the House candidates the lobbies backed won their races, while three candidates that the lobbies spent against won theirs. And in at least one district, IL9, voters were turned off by heavy ad spending by special interest dark money groups. Voter pushback helped defeat the lobbies’ candidate in that district.
These primary results are a victory for democracy. They show us that for voters, local connections can be even more powerful than big spending from special interests. Winning candidates who were not funded by lobbies will not be beholden to outside players and can better serve the interests of the voters of Illinois who elected them. The Illinois Democratic primaries offer proof that not everything can be bought, and offer a roadmap for grassroots groups opposing special interests.