When U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced last April he would not seek a sixth term, he created the state’s first open U.S. Senate seat in a generation and kicked off a tumultuous campaign that has unfolded amid the turbulence of President Donald Trump’s second term. Since then, Illinois Democrats have battled through a primary shaped by Trump’s aggressive and sometimes deadly federal immigration enforcement , threats to strip federal funding from Illinois and other states that have opposed him and, more recently, a war with Iran. On Tuesday, voters will choose the nominees to succeed Illinois’ senior senator — the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat — ending a crowded and expensive scramble among 10 Democrats and six Republicans seeking the first open Senate seat in Illinois in 16 years. On the Democratic side, the contest has narrowed to three leading contenders — U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg and Robin Kelly of Lynwood and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton — in a race that has become noteworthy for how modern-day federal campaigns are financed by inside and outside influences. The outcome could also serve as a measure of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s reach as he seeks a third term and po
