IVCA Provides Updates for State Legislative Issues – 03/18/2026
IVCA Illinois Legislative Report
David Stricklin, IVCA Legislative Liaison, Stricklin & Associates
ELECTION NEWS
Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton won a three-person race for the Democratic nomination to succeed U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. National reporters are framing it as a test of strength for Governor Pritzker in advance of his anticipated run for president.
IVCA ally Rep. Margaret Croke is all but certain (the race hasn’t been called yet) to win the Democratic nomination for Comptroller. Former Illinois House member, Illinois Senator, candidate for Governor, and Evanston Mayor Dan Biss was nominated in a crowded field to replace U.S. Rep. Jan Schakwosky. State Rep. LaShawn Ford was the choice of retiring Congressman Danny Davis, Jr. and he was also the choice of Democratic primary voters. The depth of transition that is taking place from retirements and office holders trying to move up, successfully and unsuccessfully, is reshaping the Illinois political landscape.
One thing which isn’t changing — Republican primary voters chose a downstate candidate over a north shore “centrist” among others to face Governor JB Pritzker in November.
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois governor’s race will be a rematch in 2026: Bailey, a farmer from southern Illinois and the party’s 2022 nominee, claimed victory Tuesday night in a four-way primary for the GOP nomination, defeating Ted Dabrowski, former head of the conservative policy website Wirepoints. According to unofficial returns compiled by the Associated Press, Bailey had carried about 50% of the vote as about 8:35 p.m. when the race was called. Dabrowski garnered about 32%.
* Tribune | Downstate and Chicago North Side challengers declare victory in state House primary races: In what appears to be an indictment of Illinois’ Republican establishment, Deputy Republican leader Norine Hammond, who shares the second-highest ranking position in the Illinois House GOP, trailed her challenger, Joshua Higgins, in her downstate race by 25 percentage points with 91% of the estimated votes counted, according to The Associated Press. AP has not called the race for Higgins, a candidate who is aligned with the far-right Illinois Freedom Caucus, a group of downstate Republicans considered the most conservative in the legislature. But he declared victory over Hammond, who has been in the Illinois House since 2010.
* Sun-Times | Community organizer Miguel Alvelo Rivera defeats State Rep. Jaime Andrade Jr. in Northwest Side district: Rivera ran as a progressive outsider while Andrade counted on his track record with voters in the 40th District, which includes a stretch of the Northwest Side from Bucktown to Albany Park. Andrade’s fundraising surged since January with big support from Illinois Democrats in Springfield and the Illinois Democratic party. His campaign brought in nearly $1 million in donations over $1,000 since January.
• The 19th: Juliana Stratton wins Democratic primary, set to become Illinois’ second Black woman senator
• NYT: Pritzker’s Gamble to Become a Kingmaker in Illinois Pays Off
• CNI: Stratton defeats Krishnamoorthi with help from Chicago, downstate voters
• AP: Former Illinois Republican Party chairman Don Tracy wins GOP primary for US Senate seat