Former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday. Tracy has secured a spot in November’s general election for the seat being vacated by Sen. Dick Durbin.
Tracy won the GOP primary with 40 percent of the vote so far, according to the Associated Press. He now moves on to face Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who won the Democratic nomination.
The race will determine who succeeds Durbin, who is retiring after a long Senate career that began with his election in 1996.
Tracy entered the primary as one of the best-known Republicans in the field and quickly became an early fundraising leader. He previously served as chairman of the Illinois Republican Party from 2021 through 2024.
His campaign focused heavily on affordability issues, including lowering energy costs, expanding market competition, increasing consumer choice, and pursuing negotiated prescription drug prices.
“That’s one thing Democrats and Republicans I think agree on,” Tracy told The New York Times, referring to energy costs, while also pledging to support “common-sense solutions in Washington.”
The Republican primary field also included attorney Jeannie Evans, businessman Casey Chlebek, R. Cary Capparelli, Pamela Long, and Jimmy Lee Tillman.
On the Democratic side, Stratton defeated Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi for her party’s nomination, winning 39.6 percent of the vote, according to the AP.
Tracy now heads into the general election as Republicans try to compete in a state that has leaned Democratic in federal races for years. Democrats are widely seen as having the advantage in November, with Illinois remaining a difficult statewide battleground for GOP candidates.