Illinois election 2026: Three key races to watch on election night

Hey, it's Brandon Pope of Fox Chicago and some history set to be made in the state of Illinois. Dick Durbin retiring after 29 years, giving Illinoisans a rare chance to pick a new senator on November 3rd. So let's meet the candidates on your ballot. Neither one of them are a stranger to state politics. First up, the Democrat, Juliana Stratton. She's the current lieutenant governor of the state of Illinois. She served as Governor J.B. Pritzker's right hand since 2019. It's my honor to introduce your next United States Senator, Juliana Stratton. She secured the Democratic nomination after defeating Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy in a very competitive and expensive primary. Tonight's message is clear. We're ready to take our democracy back into our own hands. Before serving as LGA, Stratton was in the Illinois House and had her own mediation practice. She's looking to become only the second black woman to serve as senator out of the state of Illinois, following Carol Moseley Braun. Next up, the Republican side. Don Tracy is her opponent. He's a businessman, an attorney, a Springfield lobbyist, and also a former chair of the Illinois GOP. He's hoping to break a decade-long Democratic streak when it comes to the Senate race. The last Republican to win a Senate seat in Illinois was Mark Kirk in 2017. He was defeated by Tammy Duckworth. Now let's get to the issues. Tracy has tried his best to paint Juliana Stratton as a far-left socialist, even placing billboards across the state saying so. Stratton has denied this categorically. Her what I call extreme socialist agenda, starting with what she calls Medicare for all. I'm not a socialist. I'm a proud Democrat. I've been a Democrat my entire life. Tracy's taking aim at all her progressive proposals, including abolishing ICE, a $25 minimum wage, and also universal health care. Meanwhile, Don Tracy is focused on securing the border, reining in federal spending, and maintaining domestic energy. Meanwhile, Stratton's leaning in heavy to anti-Trump messaging. You probably remember that viral advertisement she had with some pretty colorful words for the president. They said it. Stratton is framing Tracy as a proxy for Donald Trump's economic policies that are driving up costs for everyday Illinoisans, whereas Don Tracy is painting Stratton as a far-left extremist who's dangerous for the country. So which candidate's message resonates most with you at home on election day? All 17 of Illinois' U.S. House seats are up for grabs, but they all are leaning heavily Democratic and favored to be that way, but it still is made for a very buzz-worthy race in the 4th congressional district because of a very competitive primary. This race erupted into some real controversy after Chuy Garcia, longtime congressman, dropped out unexpectedly. Critics called it a classic machine-politics-style move Paving the way for his former chief of staff, Patti Garcia, no relation, to swoop right in and take the nomination. Alderman Byron Siccio Lopez and Mayra Macias tried running against Patti Garcia as independents, but they were knocked off the ballot and they accused Patti Garcia's campaign of orchestrating it. Siccio Lopez and Macias accused Patti Garcia of robbing voters of choice with the way the process went down. Patti Garcia has pushed back on that assertion, saying there is no right way to enter a political race. Now Garcia faces three opponents, Republican Lupe Castillo, who ran against Chuy Garcia in 2024. You got on the independent side, Lions Mayor Chris Getty, and then you have from the working class party, Ed Hershey, a CPS teacher. Chicago voters have a historic choice on their hands. For the first time in city history, they get to pick a school board president. Once the president is set, this is going to be the largest school board in the country. It's a big change because for three decades, the school board was under mayoral control. But that all changed in 2021. But this didn't happen overnight. It first started with a hybrid board. 10 elected, 11 appointed. Now we're in phase two, where 20 elected school board members are chosen in 20 distinct geographical areas of the city of Chicago, plus a school board president. So who's fighting for the top spot? Well, first, let's start with who's leaving. Sean Harden was appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson as part of the hybrid board. He will be on the way out. Now enters Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez. and Victor Henderson, all trying to be the first elected school board president in city history. And each of them have very different ideas on CPS finances, school closings, and student performance. And as the only citywide elected member of the entire school board, this school board president will run meetings, set the board agenda, and maintain a massive multi-million dollar budget for CPS. Now you may be thinking, hey, I ain't got no kids. Why do I care about this? I know what you do have. Taxes. We all pay them. They impact you. And that's why this matters to every Chicagoan.