Illinois Senate race buzz is about JB Pritzker — but he's not on the ballot

Some politicos are wondering whether Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's potential 2028 bid will be diminished if his chosen candidate, Juliana Stratton, doesn't win the Senate race.

CHICAGO — When Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker endorsed Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for Sen. Dick Durbin’s soon-to-be-vacant seat, many Democrats took it as a message: Would-be contenders should clear the way.

The free-spending billionaire has not only quickly built a national profile as an anti-Trump force in the Democratic Party, but also has a history of dropping millions of dollars to boost Democrats and their causes across battleground states. He knows how to assemble a formidable political infrastructure in the Land of Lincoln, as evidenced by two successful statewide campaigns. And as a two-term governor, he’s amassed power in the state that replaced a decades-old machine that has come crumbling down in a series of federal corruption cases.

But the tricky business of local political entrenchment is quickly becoming a factor. Pritzker’s involvement — and questions over its extent — is the talk of the race. Some politicos and strategists are already weighing how the outcome could impact Pritzker’s potential 2028 White House ambitions (a suggestion that allies of the governor call ridiculous). And they’re wondering how much money he’s willing to lay on the line.

NBC News spoke with nearly roughly a dozen former aides, political strategists and allies of campaigns for this piece.

If Pritzker’s backing of Stratton was meant to send a chilling message, it has so far done little to dissuade formidable Democrats from stepping forward. Two members of Congress, Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi, have since joined the contest, while Rep. Lauren Underwood is mulling a launch.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/illinois-senate-race-buzz-jb-pritzker-2028-rcna204993

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